The advice that James gives here is rich, following what he recommends in this first chapter will take time and effort, and will change your life.
James doesn’t write as much as Paul, and as we know from reading in Acts, James is martyred for his faith when the church is very young. He is the first of the 12 apostles to be martyred. Thankfully, he penned these words before his death. knowing that he remained faithful even to the death makes his advice even more poignant, doesn’t it?
Instead of examining each tenet that he gives us, take a step away today and look at the larger picture. James sees life differently, as a believer should. Persecution isn’t a problem for him, it’s an opportunity to use his “resistance muscles”. I haven’t ever been one to enjoy working out, but I have several friends who do, and when they see something heavy that needs picked up or moved, etc. they see it differently than I do. I see an obstacle, they see an opportunity.
What do you see when a problem arises? Is it a chance to grow or “one more problem”? How deeply you are invested in the Christian life will make the difference.
The same is true when considering your lot in life. Do you have money, or would you be considered poor? Consider this: neither one will add a single moment to your spiritual life, and neither one will develop you spiritually. Poverty can be an honor or a curse, and wealth is the same way. The wisest and most favored among us probably have many resources and the wisdom to know that they aren’t that important.
James is offering several examples that point out to us how Christians are different. We have a different future, and that impacts our interpretation of current events. Everything that we see and experience is filtered through the knowledge of forgiveness of sin, fullness of the Holy Spirit and reward in heaven.
I find myself pondering the value of mirrors this morning. The purpose of a mirror would seem to be to save me embarrassment by providing a “third person” perspective. We tend to use mirrors to admire ourselves, but that’s not how they are helpful. In fact, if we use them to admire ourselves, we would be better off without them.
A mirror fulfills it’s purpose when it shows me that my hair is sticking up, or my shirt has a stain…that sort of thing. The mirror tells me that I am putting on weight.
What I do with that information reveals what sort of person I am. If I can look into the mirror and make no changes, even though some obviously need to be made, I am deceiving myself. Realization that I am not perfect shouldn’t crush my spirit, it should encourage me to change. I don’t need to be told that I am “perfect the way I am”….because it isn’t true. I don’t need to be deceived into believing that what I see in the mirror is really acceptable, when it isn’t.
The Bible is a mirror for us. As we look deeply into God’s Word, His Holy Spirit looks deeply into us, and reflects to us how we really are. When problems are reflected, we can rejoice…because a problem identified is a problem tackled.
It’s really all about your perspective. I think that’s where James is coming from.
agreeing to see it from God’s perspective,
PR