So, I hinted at possibly doing this, and so it is...I am going to read James next, instead of John.  James will be in keeping with a lot of the wisdom stuff that has been challenging me lately, so I want to lean into that a little.  I feel like God is nudging me in the direction of some applied wisdom in my life. So, today I will read through James, and then tomorrow do a little background reading, then we’ll start the chapter-by-chapter reading; which will probably be cut up into much smaller pieces because of the richness of this content.  We will take that as we go though.  For today though, the read-through.

For me, in reading these 5 chapters of James, which really read a lot more like Proverbs than the Gospels, I had one big thought that came to mind that I think is SO important, and I that I can’t recall really landing on before - it is the idea that James is really written to the individual, not the church.  And, here is what I mean by that...I have often heard the question asked, “Is a person really saved if they don’t act, at least in some ways, like a Christian is supposed to act...like as we are taught in the NT?”  And here is the deal...I think James would tell us that the way YOU act is your business, it is between you and God; I have no need to enter into that discussion.  My faith, in the same way, is my own journey.  I think James is writing to us INDIVIDUALLY to encourage us, to challenge us, to push us, and to guide us...but I think his writing is to be used by ME for ME and as a mirror, not as a whip.  James’ words aren’t intended for me to be used to whip you, or to beat you up about your faith...James is a mirror; it is meant for me to look at me, and you to look at you.  It is a personal book.

It is also important to note that James, to a large extent, isn’t discussing salvation in his letter, but he is focused on application...he is answering the question of how to live as a believer; in other words, doing everything James says isn’t a ticket to salvation, because we can’t ‘act’ our way into Heaven.  We have to trust our way there by faith in Christ, as Paul taught us.  It is important to remember that James was there in the Jerusalem Counsel when Paul came to push for lowering the bars on ‘getting into the church’, and James was the outspoken person who said that we should place anything in the way of the person coming to faith so as not to hinder them.  James is a fervent believer in salvation by faith, but he is also one who appears to have a real passion for challenging us to hold ourselves accountable to our faith, and to what we say we believe.

So, as we read James, we are going to be challenged.  We are going to feel, at times, like we are getting kicked in the teeth.  It is important to remember that salvation is settled for us (assuming you are listening are saved by faith), this is about getting better, and it about looking at ourselves, individually, and using James’ writing as a mirror to create moments of confession where we express openly to God where we’ve fallen short, and where we can trust God will meet us and renew us and prepare us to move forward and to grow.  That’s the best use of this writing in my opinion.