Understanding the Scriptures
James 4
| Enmity (v. 4) | Opposed, against, hatred | |
| Lusteth to envy (v. 5) | Has jealous desires | |
| Nigh (v. 8) | Near | |
| Heaviness (v. 9) | Sadness, sorrow | |
| Vapour (v. 14) | Mist |
James 5
| Sabaoth (v. 4) | Hosts, multitudes | |
| Wanton (v. 5) | Wasteful in luxurious living | |
| Husbandman (v. 7) | Gardener, farmer | |
| Grudge (v. 9) | Grumble, complain | |
| Effectual (v. 16) | Effective, influential | |
| Fervent (v. 16) | Intense, sincere |
Studying the Scriptures
Do the following activities as you study James 4–5.
Write a Prescription
Imagine you are a doctor. Read James 4:1–4 and identify four symptoms people have who suffer from the disease known as “friendship of the world.” Now that you have diagnosed the spiritual disease, read James 4:7–12 and write a prescription that would help people overcome their “friendship of the world” and become healed as a friend of God.
Describe a Priesthood Blessing
Elder Neal A. Maxwell told the following story:
“I first felt the witness of the Spirit in my life around the time my sister was ill. She lay dying of whooping cough, six weeks old. I’d been about 14-years-old. I was a grease monkey [mechanic] at a Greyhound Bus Depot. I came home at three in the morning, saw the lights on. I knew she was ill and said to myself, ‘This is big trouble.’ And when I got inside, she was laying on the round dining room table and had stopped breathing.
“Antibiotics were not available. I watched my father, after the manner of the New Testament, bless her by the power of the priesthood, and I saw her begin to breathe again. I knew then the power of the priesthood was real” (“PBS Interview Studies Effect of God in Life,” Church News, 31 Aug. 1996, 4).
-
1.
After reading James 5:14–16, describe what a priesthood blessing is.
-
2.
Briefly write about a time in your life when you received or witnessed a priesthood blessing.
