James 1:5 - Talk to Your Husband about His Sin

James 1:5

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. (verse 5)

Message: Talk to Your Husband about His Sin

Time: Thought to be James, the half-brother of Jesus, though he was not a follower when Jesus was walking on the earth. He believed post-resurrection. He likely wrote this in AD 45-48. This is like the first New Testament book written and it was written to Jewish Christians. It is focused on practical application or how God's people are to "act" like God's people and this is a faith that produces life change. 

What the Lord is Saying: The author of this article mentions how he wife approached him, graciously, mentioning something that she had been praying about, namely communicating to her husband that he had not led in Bible Study or prayer. As a seminary student, he was crushed, realizing he was not leading his wife. 

My thought of reading this, not yet looking at what the author was going to say are some people I know where the wives are struggling in their marriages because their husbands are not doing any spiritual leading. I admit at times doing this with my wife and even my children, expecting that the church would take care of leading and guiding them or that she would get her spiritual nourishment herself and not realizing that it needs to come from me. And now I see other women dealing with this as well. These husbands do not oppose church or talking about spiritual matters, but they are not actively engaging in leading their wives or families and the wife meanwhile is off growing herself, seeking the Lord, studying God's word without the husband leading the wife. 

Roles in our society are in a disarray. Recently, I was challenged by my pastor to lead my wife in regular prayer. I have been doing it before work. Most of the time it is quick and sometimes it is not real deep or meaty. I need to improve upon that and not let a day go by without it happening. 

This is what his wife did.

1. She prayed about it before confronting. As the verse says in James 1:5, before doing what we would like in our heart to do, we must first "ask of God." Confrontation is not easy. I've had to do it a few times and I believe I have thought about it a lot, but not sure how often I really go to God and ask for his guidance. Often, I notice in my prayers only asking God to step in, but in these moments, the request is to direct me in how I should walk. 
2. She was willing to confront her husbands. It is tragic that often out of being confronted the other party is defensive and feels attacked. I admit that I fall into this as well when anyone asks me a question about why I did something, so it seems part of my need is to pray that if someone confronts me that I would be open to what they have to say. 
3. She was straightforward about the sin. Again, I tend to want things to be palpable and so I often beat around the bush in matters rather than simply being direct. Proverbs 24:26 says, "Whoever gives an honest answer kisses the lips." 
4. She set a precedent. She opened the door so that future confrontations, if necessary, could occur. Granted, it is a great that as her husband, he responded with tears and was broken. Unfortunately, the defensive responses can make confronting again difficult. 

Prayer: O God, thank you for the people in our lives and the Godly people you place in my life. If I have sinned and someone sees it and approaches me about it, help me to be receptive and not be defensive or seek to justify my actions. Thank you for my wife. Change me so that I am open to confrontation. Help wives that are struggling in this area to pray and be gracious if they do confront. Thank you for addressing all of our needs and wants O God. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.