I’m so excited about this new Bible Study: Wisdom in Proverbs! Admittedly, it’s going to be more like a devotional than a full Bible Study, but my hope is that it brings great encouragement to you as you dig in to learn more about wisdom — what it is, what it looks like… what it isn’t.

For the month of July, we’re going to walk through the book of Proverbs… that’s right, the entire book of Proverbs! It seemed fitting that there are 31 Proverbs and 31 Days in the month of July.

There are times in life when we feel so deflated we just want to give up. Many people James wrote to - the poor and the persecuted - felt that way. Can I really go on? Jesus, where are you? Why haven't you come back yet? James opened his letter with the topic of suffering, and he closed his letter with a call for patience in suffering.

James challenges his readers: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (4:7-8). If we don’t pay careful attention, we miss the fact that this statement is sandwiched between verses encouraging the reader to choose humility as a way of life. This is a spiritual discipline that takes effort, but James knows it is the only way forward.

It is so strange that a tiny part of our bodies, our tongues, can make such a big difference in our pursuit of holiness. If we let ourselves, we can cause serious damage with our tongues. In Chapter 3, James helps us understand just how dangerous our words can be, and he encourages us to seek God's help in taming the tongue.

As disciples of Jesus Christ, our proclamation of faith is validated in our demonstration of good works. When Jesus is acknowledged as the good King who sits on the throne over all of our desires, it changes the way we live out our faith.