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Have you ever blurted out words and then instantly regretted them? It’s such an easy thing to speak them out, but words can never be put back in. Learning to control our speech is a lifelong discipline, but it’s also a mark of true godliness and wisdom. James employs an intriguing series of observations to make this one point: watch what you say!

What makes an enthusiast? If someone told you they were a twitcher – you would expect to see them out and about spotting birds. When your new friends tell you they are all rugby fans, you would naturally ask them if they play, or at least go to any matches. The declared interest implies the action. If there’s no action, we doubt the interest. So can you be a Christian without doing anything about it? Can you believe the Gospel and not act on it?

“Money talks” so the saying goes. Sadly it even gets its way in the church sometimes. On the one hand we are thankful that some people have the funds to help out, but on the other hand we run the risk of giving them privileged treatment. How do we strike the balance? Are the fat cats pulling the strings? Then it’s time for some hard truths.

There is no deception so poisonous as self-deception. James says that even our own senses can lie to us if we don’t keep our wits about us. And when we are walking in a state of self-deception, we can often say and do all sorts of stupid things. The antidote is to pay attention to God’s view of us, and to act according to how He perceives us. When we see ourselves as He sees us – then our words and our actions will line up with His will.

When the exam is looming, and your friend has the answer sheet; is that a trial or a temptation? It depends on what you do next. Or when your colleagues turn on the sarcasm and test your faith, how do you react? Life on earth can seem to be a series of troubles, and the question isn’t whether they come, but how we deal with them. Handled wisely, they can be the times when God does His best work in us.

There is a practical reality about James that anchors the book to our own experience. It tells us how people are and how the world is, and how people of faith should accordingly act. James carries his message along with illustrations from a wide field of experience: from nature, from agriculture, from animal husbandry, even from sailing. This kind of observational commentary reminds us of the Proverbs, where life lived with skill and dignity is the hallmark of wisdom.

If Jesus could say without embarrassment that He didn’t know all the times and dates while He was on earth, then we all need to hold our opinions about the future with a degree of humility. God has given us certain facts to cling to, and some hints to help us in our anticipation of the things He has in store. When it comes to the future, we are working with pieces of a vast jigsaw-puzzle. Many of the pieces fit quite nicely, but no human mind has yet to finish the entire picture.

Whatever your particular preference – little or large, solemn or messy, candles or coffee, there is a broad set of characteristics set out in the Bible that help us to know what church is, and what church is not. The conversation tends to revolve around the issues of form and content. Forms may vary widely, but the content is always the Good News of Christ.

The Enabler, the Comforter, the Pledge and the Liaison. There are many more tasks assigned to the Spirit of God in addition to these. He is unseen, yet His influence enjoys a wide horizon and an equally wide range of expression. What can we expect from such an unexpected gift?

If it is true that God is holy, and if it is true that humankind has lost its grip on holiness, then how can the two be reconciled? We were created to be friends of God, and yet instinctively we have a tendency to rebel against Him. If such a friendship is to be restored, something has to give. The question is, how can that be done?