Reading Discussion: James

My Fellow Sippers,

I know that I am a day late, but I am definitely not a dollar short. Charge it to my head and not my heart. I will jump straight into this week's discussion on the Book of James. I have read this book several times before, but this time as I read I found myself understanding and grasping more than I did previous times before. Here it goes...

James 1
I will begin with verses 2-6 which in the New Living Translation is entitled Faith and Endurance. Surely, this is something that we can always attain knowledge on. I love how James begins this section by saying that when we face troubles that we should consider it great joy. Let's pause right here... How often do we find our troubles to be joyous? If it were something to rejoice about, then we would not consider it troubling right? Well he continues with verses 3-4 by saying,

³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

Passing the "faith test" means that you have endured. As with our patience, our endurance has to be strong in order to withstand some of the coming things that life has to offer.

Continuing with verses 5-6...
I love how James adds,  ⁵ If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. ⁶ But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 

Verses 13-15 bring light to temptation, and I often hear people blaming the devil for their temptations; however, I believe that in doing so we are giving the devil too much credit in our lives. These verses, however, say that we shouldn't even blame God for our temptations. He does not tempt us to do wrong. Temptation comes from our fleshly desires, and balances with our sinful nature.

In verses 19-24 we are instructed by James to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger. First of all, anger is something that I struggle with. Relating this to some of my personal experiences, when something hits that ONE NERVE I don't want to listen and by the time I speak, I'm already angry.
Then James indicates that we shouldn't just read the Word, we should absorb it and obey it.

James 2
This chapter opens with a warning against prejudices. I believe that this section is especially essential for today's society. We often judge others based on their appearances and what they have to offer us, instead of loving others the way that God has instructed us to. We shouldn't favor the rich over the poor, because the poor has been chosen to be rich in faith. We are committing a sin if we favor some over others!

This chapter ends by declaring to us that faith without actions is dead!!! I love how James breaks it down in verse 15, Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, ¹⁶ and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? This goes along with the command to love everyone. Our faith should be reflected by our good deeds, and serving our dear brothers and sisters in Christ. 

How often do we see people in need and we ignore their plea for help? I'm guilty! I can see someone who is needy, but I most times allow my pride to stop me from serving them the way that God desires us to. For me it is not selfishness that hinders me, as much as it is me analyzing their neediness. I typically question the validity of their need. However, my "Christ-likeness" does not show when I do this. It is not for me to decide how needy someone is.

James 3
James begins this chapter by describing the power of our tongues. I often forget how powerful my tongue is and that the words that I speak are a reflection of who I am. My prayer lately has been to Let the words of my mouth be acceptable in the sight of God. I often pray that when I open my mouth to speak that others will only hear "Christ-likeness."

James then ends this chapter by saying that our lives should be honorable in the sight of God. We should not be jealous and selfish and calling ourselves Christians. He says that these are "earthly, spiritual, demonic" (v.15).  Yes! Demonic! What? Again something else that I have been steadily praying about is that the Lord will help me to be more selfLESS and less selfish. I don't want to be demonic and unspiritual. I want to be seen honorable by God.

James 4
One of my favorite parts of this chapter is verses 7-9...

⁷ So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. ⁹ Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.

We should be humble... practicing humility before God. Admit to our Father that we have done wrong by Him. We should not be proud about our wrongdoing. Instead we should be sorrowful and remorseful. WE SHOULD BE HUMBLE!!

James then warns again about judging others. This is important... Again in this this book we are warned against prejudices. This shows how imperative it is that we LOVE others!!

James 5
This concluding chapter is another indication of how there is growth of our endurance. This time James says that patience will help our endurance to grow! When I find myself in a season of tested patience, I frequently remind myself that my greater is coming. This is merely a test to see how much I am willing to endure, and to see how long I am willing to wait. In such a fast-paced society like today, we fail with practicing patience. We grow hostile in rush hour traffic. We nearly push people out of our way in grocery stores. We simply rush with everything we do, not realizing that patience will bring about something greater.

Lastly, I love how James tells about the power of prayer. I am a firm believer in asking so that it can be given, and knocking so that the door can be opened. We should pretty much be in constant prayer, whether it be for ourself or someone else. I think that we have forgotten that miracles do happen. If there is illness in our bodies, we should pray for healing. If there is a need in our lives, we should pray that the need is met. We should be commanding the Heavens to open up. Our harvest is reaped when we PRAY!

Let me know your response to this book below. Next Sunday, we will pick up with the Thessalonians!

With Love,
The King's Daughter