Unit 3: Faith and Wisdom in James
Faith and Wisdom | Bible Background • JAMES 1:1–11
Printed Text • JAMES 1:1–11 | Devotional Reading • ISAIAH 40:1–8
AIM FOR CHANGE
By the end of the lesson, we will: CONSIDER the relationship between wisdom and perseverance through trials, AFFIRM the value of trials and hardships in making us more wise and productive disciples, and PRAY for godly wisdom by which to endure life’s trials and temptations.
IN FOCUS
Cornelius’ ancestors were careful keepers of their family history. His great-grandmother inscribed their family tree onto the pages of a large Bible, and his grandfather continued to add to it. Cornelius was amazed to see his name written on a family tree that stretched back to the 1840s. The African Diaspora consists of millions of people like Cornelius whose ancestors were stolen from the Motherland for the Mid-Atlantic Slave Trade. Their faith gave them strength and their experiences gave them wisdom to pass on to successive generations. The first name on Cornelius’ family was a man named John who was born a slave in the 1840s. John became a Christian after he was freed from slavery. The church operated a school that taught John to read and write. Eventually, John became a preacher, and the church paid for his college education. John organized schools so that other people could attain college educations. Cornelius is a member of his ancestor John’s church and attended a historically black college that his ancestor helped support. Cornelius learned that faith and wisdom can help believers overcome life’s trials. What wisdom was passed down to you through the experiences of your ancestors?
What wisdom have you learned through your own experiences? What role did faith in God have in your ancestors’ experiences and your own experiences?