James: Wisdom to Lead: A 5-Day Reading Plan With Nicole SmitheeSample

Key Verse: James 5:16 NIV

16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

Reflection:

The Church is more than a crowd gathering on Sunday mornings; the Church is a community of believers––spiritual brothers and sisters experiencing life together. We can encourage those who are cheerful to sing praises to God while also praying for those who are suffering. There is room for both happiness and sadness, for both joyful celebration and great difficulties in the family of God. In fact, we are instructed to honor the width and depth of human experience within our church community with faith and love: We are to pray and expect the miraculous. We are also to confess our wrongs and offenses toward each other and receive healing in the process. It is within this authentic and Christ-centered context that we become the full expression of Jesus to one another and to the world.

How can you activate those you lead to become people of prayer, of praise, and of confession? And how can you continue to engage and invest in these practices with other believers? Ask the Holy Spirit to provide you with insight and direction.