James 5

James closes his letter with a discussion of prayer that continues the theme he began in chapter one: “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.”

For instance, James encourages the sick to go to the elders for anointing with oil and prayer. In that culture the people believed there was a direction connection between sin and sickness. Doctors and medicine were not readily available, if at all. Today, when we are sick our options include going to the pharmacy, calling our doctor or going to a clinic or ER. The difference between our culture and first century Jerusalem reminds me of something Mother Teresa said, “You will never know Jesus is all you need, until Jesus is all you have.”

God has blessed us to live in an age where we have many health care options and we should use these. However, we also need to remember that God is the author of our life and it is good to go to God in prayer in all of our circumstances. Anointing and praying for the sick is an expression of the truth that our lives belong to God. By creation and redemption our lives belong to God.

James is very consistent with Paul in affirming that our life in Christ will overflow with joy, and singing and prayer. These three are like a doctor taking our blood pressure, pulse and temperature. When they are abnormal we are sick. So also, when there is an absence of joy, singing and prayer in our lives we are spiritually sick.

(To see how singing, joy and praise were an integral part of the life in Christ in the first century look up: 1 Corinthians 14:15, 26; Romans 15:9; Ephesians 5:19; and Colossians 3:16)

We live in a pessimistic time. The news media offers us a steady diet of depressing stories and it is so easy for this attitude to drift into the consciousness of the Christian and the Christian Church.

James is reminding me of something very important to my spiritual wellbeing:

“Dear brothers and sisters, be patient as you wait for the Lord’s return. Consider the farmers who patiently wait for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They eagerly look for the valuable harvest to ripen. You, too, must be patient. Take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.”

What does today’s reading reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?

James 4

Sometimes we need to dig a little deeper. I dug some more today because I was uncertain with what James was saying in verses 5-6. The New Living Translation renders this: “What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy? But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires.”

Envy is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Why would God put a spirit of envy within us?

What I found is that the phrase is very difficult to translate from the original Greek. But, as I looked at other translations I think I have an idea of what James was trying to say.

The NRSV is, “‘God yearns jealously for the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’? But he gives all the more grace;”

The Common English Bible (a new translation from Cokesbury) is, “Doesn’t God long for our faithfulness in the life he has given to us? But he gives us more grace.”

The Message is, “The proverb has it that "he's a fiercely jealous lover." And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find.”

I think the CEB’s translation captures the essence of what James (and Paul) believed about the life in Christ. If I were to rephrase it I would say, ‘God yearns jealously for me to live the life in Christ He has made possible for me by His grace.’

As parents we train our children in the way they should go and yearn for the day they embrace this life for themselves and do not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6)

So also, our Heavenly Father has given us new life in Christ and yearns for the day we will embrace this new life as our own. I shudder to think how often my life is defined by, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love;” more than the life in Christ. In those moments I am learning to rejoice that “he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires.”

(I am grateful for http://www.biblegateway.com/ that makes it so easy to compare various translations.)

What does today’s reading reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?

James 3

They say great minds think alike. That was certainly true of Paul and James. I made a list of the attributes of Godly wisdom James identifies in verses 17-18. Then I compared it to Paul’s list of the attributes of love in 1 Corinthians 13. They are remarkably similar. On July 29 I noted that the words hope and confidence were interchangeable in God’s Kingdom. Can love and wisdom also be interchangeable? I think so. There are times when I am not sure how to respond to someone and I pray for wisdom. I believe knowing that God’s wisdom and love are interwoven help me be more discerning of God’s leading.

As I read these verses I remember hearing that when people are trained how to identify counterfeit currency, instead of learning about all the different ways the currency has been copied or altered, the student spends their time learning about the genuine currency. The student becomes so familiar with the genuine article they can easily identify a counterfeit. Both Paul and James have identified things Christians are not supposed to do and that is good and helpful. But, both Paul and James emphasize even more the characteristics of the life in Christ. Can it be that when we are completely immersed in Christ’ life we can easily identify the counterfeit life offered by the evil one?

What does today’s reading reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?

James 2

Why did you allow God to save you? “So I can go to heaven when I die” is the first response of many people. Some others go a little deeper and say “so God could deliver me from the power of sin and death.” Others will focus on relationships, ‘so I can be in a right relationship with God.”

Maybe the better question to ask is why did God want to save us? God’s answer will be inclusive of all of the above responses, but His answer will be more focused. God created you and He wants you back in His family. He wants all of His family to join Him in the family business.

God’s family business is called, “New Creations.” First, he creates His children anew. “Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! (2 Corinthians 5:17) Second, the purpose of our new life in Christ is to prepare for the coming Kingdom of God. How? Look back to July 30 and the mediation on 2 Thessalonians.

The point James is making is that if you have accepted what God is doing in Christ to give you new life there will be evidence of your faith. Your faith does not earn your new life in Christ, but your good works are evidence that you do have faith in what God wants to do in you.

Why does James make such a big deal out of this? Because, “nothing is so difficult as not deceiving oneself."

What does today’s reading reveal to you about God?
What does it reveal to you about yourself?
Think about what God wants you to do or remember about this passage.

Does God want you to change anything in your life?