Blaze Church

A Well Balanced Life Part 1 - Take A Nap

A Well Balanced Life Part 1 - We are convinced that busy is best. Telling another person that your life is filled with rest seems impossible. We are so caught up doing life, that we aren’t stopping to enjoy life. The first element that God gave humanity was REST.  Jesus wants you to enjoy food and friends! Does that sound crazy? Today we discover how important rest is, and how we can violate the cultural expectation of full calendars and busy schedules.

James Part 12 - How To Pray Together

James Part 12 - Christians, we have the privilege of creating a culture that helps confession and healing. Are we hindering those things? The unrighteous - the skeptic and seeker - don’t allow your sickness to keep you out. James brings up the word righteous, to remind us that there is only One who is righteous. “The righteous man” is the person who is fully aware of their unrighteousness, and is fully trusting in the person and work of the Righteous One, Jesus Christ!

James Part 11 - How To Win In Suffering

James Part 11 - Whether it's in relationships, emotions, finances, your job or even in your home, there are times and situations where we experience suffering and pain. During these times where or who do we look to? How do we get through the pain of suffering? It's important to know not only how to get through suffering, but to make it sustainable and not temporary. 

James Part 10 - How To Be Rich

James Part 10 - Many of us are focused on becoming rich, and we haven’t considered how to be rich. How will we act when we have money? Truthfully, the problem isn’t a lack of cash, it’s a lack of character. James gives us some healthy warning on how more money can lead to more problems if we don’t understand money’s true purpose. There is hope in knowing that God gives us money so we can share.

James Part 9 - How To Plan Your Life

James Part 9 - Too many of us are living our lives as if we will exist forever. We aren’t simply planning, we are assuming that when we put something in our calendars, it will happen. We all know the hard truth though - no one is promised tomorrow. How do we navigate the tension of needing to plan and create schedules, and also live with the fact that we may not accomplish our goals? How do we keep ourselves from becoming so focused on tomorrow, that we miss out on what’s happening today? Discover the way to plan your life, and not lose yourself in the process. 
 

James Part 8 - How To Get Along

James Part 8 -Conflict is a normal part of life. It's unavoidable. How we handle conflict, however, is a choice. The normal response is to win; to make sure you come out on top. Unfortunately this can lead to some messy relationships. Why do we act this way? Today we discover that the amazing grace of God enables us to genuinely love others, even when they have what we don't have. We don't need to be fueled by jealousy! We can have thriving relationships. Horizontal alignment is vertically dependent. 

James Part 7 - How To Be Wise

James Part 7- Smart people make unwise decisions all the time. Have you seen a pattern in your life of choices that lead to chaos? Relationships, purchases, life decisions - the rhythm of your day is filled with options. Wouldn't it be great if you knew how to be wise in those moments? Today we discover the two types of wisdom available to us, and the hope that every person can in fact be wise!

James Part 6 - How To Bite Your Tongue

James Part 6 - Biting your tongue requires a heart transplant. If we are honest, each of us would love to be able to control our tongue. Christian or not, being able to refrain from a silly comment, entering into verbal arguments, or saying things we know we will later regret would bring more health to our relationships. But is that possible? James uses many images to show how powerful and destructive our words are. He says that "No one can tame the tongue." But is our tongue the problem? Or is there a deeper issue? Discover the remedy to your twisted tongue problem. 

James Part 5 - How To Make Faith Work

James Part 5 - Believing something and claiming something is great. But we all know a belief that isn't lived out isn't real. Saying you believe in something, but not doing something about it is silly and pointless. How different would your life be if you could KNOW "This is what it looks like to have faith in Jesus. This is how I know what I believe is real." James was concered about the Christians he knew. He wanted them to know how to make faith work. Really work. 
Consider: What visible evidence is there that your faith isn’t simply “I’ll pray for you” or “I know that”?
Reflect: Do you have a more confident conscious or a more tender one? Are you reflecting by focusing on your failures or successes?
Read: Genesis 22 and Judges 2. Abraham and Rahab each demonstrated visible faith by acting.
Do: Can you put yourself on a regular schedule of volunteering with some ministry or charity? Tutoring each week? Staffing a soup kitchen each month? Doing a work day once a quarter? Don’t just think about doing these things. Plan something and do it. 
Pray: Thank God that all people are invited to know Him and can have their sins forgiven through Jesus Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to develop a faith that works in your life. 

James Part 4 - How To Have Favorites

James Part 4 - Favoritism exists in culture. Everyday people are vicitmized by someone judging their appearances and discriminating against them. James, the younger brother of Jesus, saw the church in his day using the same attitude in their gatherings. They were following the Roman law instead of the Royal law: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Today we discovered that mercy triumphs over judgment. The only way to unfavorite favoritism is to remember mercy!