Week 51: James, Day 2

READ
James 1:1 – 2:13
Psalm 102

REFLECT

“Tough Time” Requirements
 Imagine yourself a Jewish person in a strange city in the Roman Empire, rooted out of your comfort zone by persecution of Christians in Jerusalem, and by the violence of the Roman imperialists who enslaved and displaced countless Jews at their command. It was not a pleasant scene. In the early years of the Jesus people, only later called Christians, there was evangelism taking place in widening circles; then building up of the converts in the developing cells of believers; then intense persecution after the stoning of Stephen; and then gradually the scattering of the Jerusalem congregation throughout Judea, Samaria, and even into remote regions of Caesarea, Damascus, Antioch, and the island of Cyprus.
 James, as leader of the church in Jerusalem, had deep concern for his growing parish, shared with them their Jewish loyalties to the law, but also their new conviction that Jesus was their Messiah. As circumstances began to force many of those disciples to move beyond “home base,” James followed the direction of the Spirit to help sustain their faith by addressing their need for continuing instruction. So what we have today is a short compendium of clear guidelines that both instruct and encourage. Here are some.
 Be joyful when you “encounter various trials.” That’s just not what we tend to feel when the pressures of life pummel us. We associate “joy” with the happy times, when everything seems to be going very well for us. But for those Jewish Christians on the run, life was not going well. James counsels them in their trials to “consider it all joy,” think constructively; because how you perceive your difficulties will determine the extent of your endurance – for whatever comes. Remember: Martyrs died singing.
 Wisdom is a gift from God. Ask for it. There are conditions. First, there must be faith that God can guide. Second, there must be an absence of doubt that God will indeed respond to our request for wisdom. Prayer is the vehicle that leads into wisdom. This is a very practical thing, because it enables sound thinking, and leads to proper conduct. We need both.
 There is an old Gospel song that echoes the word from James: Yield Not To Temptation. It is not God’s tactic to tempt us. We choose when and how we will allow sin to infect our lives. But when we “persevere under trial,” there is a handsome payoff: the Crown of Life, the bestowment of God’s blessings.
 Clean up your life, remove the junk, and cultivate a teachable spirit. In the process, we will find challenges to do more than “know about” our faith in Christ. We will be learning how to translate that knowledge into behavior patterns that reflect the life of our Lord. As the saying goes, we must “walk the talk.”
 James certainly addresses snobbery in the church. It’s not how many rings one wears, on how many fingers. It’s not the expression of wealth through one’s wardrobe, or the position one holds in corporation or society. Rather, when we practice the “Royal Law” – loving our neighbor as ourselves – we keep all outward appearances in perspective, and avoid the temptation to classify people into the “OK’s” and the “Ugh’s.”

RESPOND
We’re not short on “growth” challenges as we seek to become fully devoted disciples of Jesus Christ. Consider how one or several of the words of counsel from James can shape your agenda for living in and through this Advent Season.

PRAY
Loving Lord, be patient with me as I increase my “doing” of the faith, and let me know the reality of Your promise that “ . . . year after year you’re as good as new” (Psalm 102.27 TM).

- D.E.E.