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James

Faith That Works

Faith that shows up on Monday. James wrote the most practical letter in the New Testament. He writes about trials, money, anger, the tongue and faith that actually does something. In 30 short readings you will walk through the whole book, a few verses at a time.

A 30-day devotional for men by Bruce Cheek

Available December 1 in paperback and on iPhone and Android.

Email me on December 1 Read Day 1
The app's first three days will be free.
The cover of Ground Truth: James, Faith That Works, by Bruce Cheek

Every day

Under 10 minutes a day

The Passage

A few verses of James, read straight through in the Berean Standard Bible.

Lay of the Land

What James is saying, in plain words, and where it lands in a man's week.

Trail Marker

A related proverb or psalm that walks alongside the day's passage.

Prayer

A short prayer to pray the passage back to God.

Field Challenge

One concrete thing to go and do before the day is out.

Ground Check

One honest question to answer, on paper or in the app.

Iron Sharpens Iron

Every fifth day turns outward: questions over the last five days for a friend, a son or your men's group.

Read a day

Day 1

Ground Truth · JamesDay 1

Joy in the Grind

James 1:1-4

1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: Greetings. 2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Allow perseverance to finish its work, so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Lay of the Land

James opens by telling men to count trials as joy. Not because hardship feels good, but because it builds something nothing else can: perseverance. Silver is refined in fire, and so is a man's faith. The trial you are in right now is not wasted if you let it finish its work.

Trail Marker · Proverbs 17:3

3A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts.

Prayer

Father, I don't naturally welcome hard days. Help me see the trial in front of me as Your refining work, not Your absence. Give me the endurance to let it finish, so that I come out mature and complete. Amen.

Field Challenge

Write down the hardest thing you're carrying this week. Under it, write one thing it could be building in you. Pray over that line tonight.

Ground Check

What trial are you in right now that you've been treating as wasted time?

Two ways to read

On paper or on your phone

The paperback

  • All 30 days of James in print.
  • Room to write your answer to each day's Ground Check.
  • Group questions every fifth day, ready for your men's group.

Available December 1 on Amazon

The app

  • For iPhone and Android.
  • The first three days free. Then one purchase, no subscription.
  • A daily reminder timed to when you usually read, and an evening check-in on the Field Challenge.
  • Your notes stay on your phone. Read James again and every earlier note is kept.

Available December 1 on the App Store and Google Play

December 1

Get word when it's out

Ground Truth is a series of 30-day devotionals for men, one book of the Bible at a time, and James is the first. Leave your email and you'll hear when James is available, then when each new book is ready. Release news only.