MAN! The book of James has got to be my favorite and least favorite book of the Bible all at the same time. On one hand, I love it and have read it so much, and it’s probably the book of the Bible that I know the best. On the other hand, it’s so painful and uncomfortably convicting and challenging. I’m guessing that growing up as Jesus’ brother was probably extremely challenging and convicting, and so maybe James just wanted the rest of the world to share in his misery/delight! To me, the book of James is like a really intense massage. At the time it hurts so much that you can’t even breathe, but ultimately you know that it’s good for you in the long run.
I feel like I could probably write a 50,000 word blog on the book of James because of how rich it is, but I’m not going to do that for a couple reasons: 1. I don’t want to type 50,000 words; 2. If it were 50,000 words, I’m guessing all of you would stop reading right now. So I’m just going to write about a couple of things that stood out to me in James 1.
Right in the middle of one of the most challenging books of the entire Bible, James instructs his readers to not only read scripture, but to also act on it and to let it change their lives (vs. 22-25). Not only does he present this as the right thing to do, but he throws out this mirror analogy that basically tells us how dumb he thinks we are when we don’t follow through on what the Bible tells us to do. I don’t know about you, but I kind of wish I was there to give him a good old fashioned, “Yeah, that’s a lot easier said than done.” However, I’m sure James would have just looked at me and said, “Cool, tell that to my brother.” The Bible can push and stretch us sometimes in ways that make us feel like we might break, but ultimately that’s the call of being a follower of Jesus. We are called to a high level, a standard that without God is completely impossible to attain.
Right after this passage, James goes on to describe what he calls pure and faultless religion. He paints a picture of God’s heart and what it is that He calls us to. There are two main elements that James lays out in this passage. The first is this idea of keeping of a tight rein on your tongue. I think we often confuse what this actually means. This isn’t simply asking us to avoid certain swear words or particularly inappropriate things. When you bridle a horse and keep the reins tight, you assume complete control and direct that horse wherever you want it to go. Our tongue or our speech is something that God calls us to control and not simply in the sense of avoiding really “bad” things, but also in the sense of using it constructively to build others up.
The second element that James touches on here is the idea of taking care of the destitute and the needy. While we are reading James, we are also reading through a section of Psalms that is written by people who are struggling and are calling out to God for help. And the amazing thing about God is that He not only hears these cries, but He also really cares about those who are destitute and in need. Most of the Psalms we have been reading this past week are not by David, but in the midst of this, David writes this beautiful prayer in Psalm 86 about God’s unfailing love for us. Psalm 86:6-7 says, “Hear my prayer Lord; listen to my cry for mercy. When I am in distress, I call to you, because you answer me.”
God’s heart is to hear the cries of those in need and to respond in love. If we truly want our religion to be pure and faultless, our hearts should be the same.
-Ryan Guerra
(Associate Pastor)