Category: Scripture

Well, it has been a little over three months since I began reading in James. It started as a family reading and reflection as we shared once a week what God had been teaching us through His Word. After that was done (a month or so) I couldn’t stop. I kept reading and rereading the lessons and principles God wanted me to learn and ponder upon. These ponderings can be found in prior posting.

I have spent the last part of my pondering on chapter 4. Here James is addressing the issues of self-centeredness and humility. Our goal in life is not to be filled with the “I want so I can do my thing” but rather our attitude should be “God with this resource I could do this for others.” When we ask God for things, His response seems to be tied to the motive or reason why we are asking.

When it comes to our relationships to God and to others humility seems to be key. We are to humble ourselves before God so that He can lift us up. I think that this humility should carry over to our relationship with others also. How many conflicts could be avoided if we simple humbled ourselves to others. Now I am not talking about being a door mat, but there are times when our pride gets in the way of working through a problem.

As I reflect back the key idea that transformed me the most was found in James 1:26-27 where James addresses what “true religion” is. It is about serving others and tending to our spiritual well being (really loving God).

This is what I am taking away from my time in James. I have incorporated this into my personal life platform as an operational belief and working through the core value(s) this represents in my life. I am acting on if, because if we don’t act on what we say has transformed us, then I would question if we truly have been transformed.

I can’t believe that I have been “stuck” in James since the beginning of August. We started reading it as a family then and I have not been able to tear myself away. Now I have to admit that I have not been doing an in depth word by word, verse by verse analysis (I know of at least one hermeneutic prof who would be glad to hear this), rather I have been trying to understand the stories that James is trying to convey.

It seems that James is telling his audience “Don’t worry about the struggles and hardships you are facing, God can use them to build character in you and help you develop Godly wisdom. Rather than worry be about the task of taking care of the forgotten, the marginalized, the voiceless; and while you are at it don’t forget to take care of your own spiritual well being. Live out your faith in such a way that people will see that you are different. If you say you believe something do you have a concrete example of how that is being lived out in your life? Finally, remember it is not about you. Guard your tongue, keep your own want and desires in check, humble yourself before God so that He is the one who can life you up.”

This is my summary of James, the key story themes that James develops. What I need to do now is to figure out how I can apply them and integrate them into my life. Is there one of these themes that jumped out at you? If so grab onto it and see how God want you to transform you life based on the theme.

As I prepare to preach this weekend an idea has been bouncing around in my head. This idea is “Do and Be.” As Christ-followers we are called to “be”, “be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16), be in the world but not of the world, “be ready to give a defense for the hope that is within you..” (1 Peter 3:15). The doing part is how we live out our faith. It is about loving our neighbor, taking care of orphans and widows, making disciples, and engaging the world.

As Christ-followers we are called to live a duel life. One life calls us to reflect on who we are, keeping a close check on our relationship with God. In Matthew 22 Jesus tells His followers that all the other laws hang on this command to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and James tells his readers to “…keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” This is the “BE.” It has to do with who you are.

The second life is “DO.” This is the living our of our faith. James in his letter tells us to show our faith by our deeds. Going back to Matthew 22 the second part to Jesus’ conversation with the Sadducees was to “love your neighbor as yourself.” You see we were not meant to live in a vacuum. We are called to live in community. We have all be blessed with different gifts and talents. We need community in order for these skills to be expressed.

Our challenge is to “be” and “do.” What spiritual disciplines can you practice to draw yourself closer to God? How do you love God with all that you are? How do you “Do?” What gifts and talents can you share with the community where you live? This can be within the church, but it also must flow our into the larger community. As you move through the next week thing about “being” and “doing.”