94 James

James

He's a member of Jesus' inner circle, and he's writing this letter to Jewish-Christians all throughout the Roman Empire. He's got some important things to tell them—mainly that there will be tough times, but that it's all good. Being arrested and out on trial for your faith may be a bummer, but God will bring some good stuff out of it. Guaranteed. James also has a major beef with rich folks. He thinks that they'll pay big time for all the perks they enjoyed in life.? He also has some strong thoughts on the power of words: don't praise God one day and then badmouth fellow Christians the other—God really gets annoyed with all the double-speak going on. Finally, Christians have to keep the faith and stay strong because Jesus is coming back real soon. Seriously…any day now.


James

James says that he's writing to "the twelve tribes in the Dispersion." In other words: Jewish-Christians who don't live in the Jewish homeland in Palestine. And what does he have to say? For starters—don't fret about tough times. Sure, going through trials and tribulations is no fun, but some good can come of it. Well, it can be a good test of your faith. Oh, and it can help you learn to be strong and persevere. So there's that. If there's anything you don't know, just ask God about it. He'll fill you in on the details. But whatever you do, says James, don't doubt him. God doesn't like it when you're saying one thing and thinking another. Doubting Thomases get nothing as far as he's concerned. Are you poor? No problem! Anyone who follows Jesus and finds themselves short of cash is gonna get a major reward very soon. Rich guys? They're gonna wither and die like a plant in the scorching sun. It's not pretty. If you want to do something, but know you shouldn't, keep holding out. That really makes God happy. Anyone who can stand their ground in the face of temptation is definitely winning. See, James doesn't think that God actually tempts people. You want to eat that extra cookie because you think it's delicious. Not because God made it delicious. When you give into your desires, that leads to sin. And sin? Well, that leads to death. Everything good that we do and everything awesome in the world comes straight from God, says James. God created the world then showed it the truth—the truth about Jesus, that is. And believers are the "first fruits" out of everyone in the whole world. Anything else? Listen to each other. Don't fight and argue. Besides, if you listen more, you might be able to help someone find God. Be a doer. Don't nod along when you hear people talk about doing nice things. Go out and do your own good stuff. Seriously, don't be a giant hypocrite. You can't say you're religious and then just sit by doing nothing. Hearing about God isn't as important as doing God's work. So get out there and care for some widows and orphans already.

Being a faithful person means that you don't favor rich people over poor people. When fancy folks wearing expensive clothes stroll into church, everyone falls all over themselves to get these hoity toity guys a seat. But when someone without a lot of cash in his pockets walks in, he's told to stand or sit on the ground. It's not very polite. If that's how you treat the poor—whom God specifically said were going to be part of his kingdom—then you are really not getting it, says James. Why should Christians love these rich guys so much anyway? Wealthy people are the ones who have you arrested for following Jesus. They drag you into court and basically mock God. What's so awesome about them, again? Remember when Jesus said that you should "love your neighbor as yourself"? He was pretty serious about that. If you don't follow his teachings, then you've broken God's law. If you're merciful to others, God will repay the favor. But if you spend most of your free time judging people based on their appearances, then God is gonna judge the heck out of you, too. Seriously, you can't say you follow God and then act like a jerk. Having faith alone can't save you. You also need to do good works to complete the picture. James continues: it won't help anyone for you to just smile at poor people and wish them well. Where are they supposed to live? How are they going to eat? If you don't help those who need it, all your pious faith and feel-good beliefs are dead in the water. Of course, some knuckleheads think that you can separate out faith and works. These people say, Hey, I have faith in God. You do the good works. Then everyone will be covered. Nope. Sorry. Doesn't work like that. Look, says James, there's one God, right? That means you can't divide out believing and doing. If you have faith in him, you'll act like it. Put your money where your mouth is. Take Abraham for example. God told him to sacrifice his son, Isaac, and Abraham was totally gonna do it. He had the knife at the kid's throat when God told him to stop. Abraham didn't just believe that what God said was right. He acted on it. Rahab, too. She might have been a Canaanite prostitute, but she helped the Israelites get into the Promised Land. Because of what she did, God totally loved her. If your spirit leaves your body, you're dead. And if you just think nice things about God but never do anything, then you're dead, too.

Not everyone is cut out to be a teacher like James. Teachers have to watch what they do and say at all times because people are just waiting for them to screw up. Well, it's sort of true. But teachers also make mistakes. Tons of them. Sometimes it's hard to keep control of your tongue. A person's tongue is the rudder on a ship. It's a little tiny piece tucked away under the boat, but it can steer the whole vessel through uncharted waters. The tongue is pretty small, too, but it can take you to some amazing places. It's sort of like how a whole forest can go up in flames just from a few matches. Our tongues are like tiny fires ready to set the world ablaze. But an unruly tongue can produce good words and bad words. We say all kinds of good things about God with our mouths. But then we talk bad about his creations—other people—in the same breath. People really shouldn't be doing this, says James. It makes as much sense as having a faucet that pours out pure, sparkling water on one day and then raw sewage on another. If you're smart, then you'll be humble and kind. But if you've got the wrong kind of wisdom (the devilish kind), then you'll be a bitter, envious, selfish, clawing, liar. The bad kind of wisdom can wreck the world. The good kind can bring peace and sunshine and rainbows to everyone.

Why do people love to fight so much? Well, sometimes a person wants something they don't have. So they get all freaked out and angry about it and start going to war with other people. That's one way to get what you want. But the real reason those people don't have the stuff they want is that they don't ask God. Or they ask, but they're selfish about it, so God doesn't hand it over. He's not gonna help you win the lottery if you're just gonna use the money to buy a garage full of fancy cars or motorcycles. Seriously, says James, don't you know that if all in love with the things in this world, then you've made yourself into God's enemy? God likes it when people are humble, not when they act like entitled jerks.. Don't be "double-minded" (thinking one thing and doing another). Walk the straight and narrow with God and everything will be a-okay. More rules: don't badmouth another believer. If you're saying nasty things, you're judging. Remember, only God can judge you. Forget the haters, because somebody loves you. And don't make too many plans for the future. It's kind of arrogant. The world doesn't revolve around you and your dreams.

Listen up, rich folks: God is not amused with you. Major bad times are coming your way. All your wealth will rot. Your fancy designer clothes are gonna be eaten by moths. Your gold and silver coins are gonna rust. Then the rust is gonna eat away at your skin like fire. Yeah. It's gonna be pretty miserable. It's bad enough that you hoarded money, says James, but you didn't even come by your cash honestly. The people you've cheated out of their hard-earned dollars have appealed to God and he's heard them. You lived in the lap of luxury during your time on Earth, but all that will be over soon. But believers (who we're assuming aren't rich) should just be patient. Jesus will be coming back anytime now. Wait for him like a farmer waits for his crops to grow, says James. You know they're coming. It's just a matter of finding the right time. Stay strong and don't start complaining about everyone else. Otherwise you're gonna be judged. Big time. If you're looking for examples of folks who have done it right, look no further than the prophets of the Hebrew Bible. Especially Job. These guys faced tough times, but they kept on keeping on.
Also, when you say something, really commit to it. Seriously, no means no and yes means yes. Whether you're having a good time or a bad time, you should pray. God likes it when you check in every once in a while, says James. If you're sick, ask for someone to pray for you. If you sin, admit what you did to the community. God will totally forgive you if you take responsibility when you come up short. Everyone should also pray for each other. Prayer can be pretty powerful. Elijah prayed that it wouldn't rain, and not a single drop fell for three years and six months. And if any believer stops believing, the rest of the community can try to win him back. Just pray..