A 2014 survey of “The Bible in American Life” found that only 48 percent of Americans reported reading any Scripture at any time during the previous year. Among those who did, the percentages were significantly higher for women, older people, Southerners, and African Americans. Just 9 percent of Americans, however, said they read the Bible daily. To obey God’s Word, one must at least read it! Mature faith is characterized by obedience to Scripture. Accepting the Word (v. 21) means allowing it to influence all parts of your life. This isn’t some abstract or esoteric process—it’s straightforward. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says” (v. 22). The listening must be active rather than passive; that is, a response is needed. This idea is consistent with what we read throughout the Old Testament. The command “Hear, O Israel” was not merely an invitation to listen but an exhortation to obey. To do anything else is self-deception. It would be like a person who gazes into a mirror and then forgets what he looks like (vv. 23–24). James’ example is both funny and tragic. The information received from the mirror is useless. It made no impact. He didn’t do anything with it. In the same way, Christians who hear God’s Word and then continue to live as before are tragic fools. When an obedient person looks into the mirror of Scripture—the “perfect law that gives freedom”—they see a true reflection of self in relation to God (v. 25). A maturing follower of Jesus does not forget this truth but lives within and by it. This person “continues in it,” a phrase that highlights the link between obedience and endurance. That’s why such people “will be blessed in what they do.”

In Redeeming How We Talk, Ken Wytsma and A. J. Swoboda write: “Next to prayer, listening is perhaps the best way to create a positive context for conversation. Listening forces us to exchange hats with others, to walk in their shoes. When we exchange hats, we develop empathy and understanding. Then we can more tenderly voice our concerns or offer our advice.” No wonder James exhorted us to be “quick to listen” (v. 19)! This admonition draws on the tradition of wisdom literature (see, for example, Prov. 10:19). In this context, several questions are also implied by today’s reading: What is appropriate behavior for those of us who have received God’s good and perfect gift of salvation? Exactly how can we endure trials and troubles in order to grow to mature faith? To be “quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry” is the beginning of James’ answer, which extends over most of the rest of the book. To listen more than to speak demonstrates self-control, as opposed to hasty words and actions that characterize ungodly anger. That behavior does not “produce the righteousness that God desires” (v. 20). Listening and self-control are part of godly perseverance and lead toward the righteousness and spiritual maturity that God desires. The principle here is to “get rid of all moral filth”—including rash words and unrighteous anger—and instead to “humbly accept the word planted in you” (v. 21). Doing so will be countercultural, for evil is “prevalent” in the world. This will require humility or meekness. The verb “accept” enlists our wills and actions while keeping God’s will and actions primary. He, not us, did the planting and He, not us, is the One who accomplishes our salvation.

In 1885, a Russian czar commissioned Carl Fabergé and his family jewelry business to create a special Easter gift for his wife. They designed a beautiful white egg, inside of which was a gold “yolk.” Inside of that was a golden hen, and inside of that was a miniature diamond crown and a tiny ruby egg. Known as the “Hen Egg,” this was the first of 50 such jeweled eggs created over a span of 32 years as royal gifts. Gifts from God are much more beautiful and valuable than Fabergé eggs! As James wrote, “Every good and perfect gift is from above” (v. 17; see Matt. 7:11). Thus far in the epistle, we can see that His gifts include the ability to persevere under trial, wisdom to take an eternal perspective on trials, the process of growth whereby trials can lead to spiritual maturity, and the crown of life awaiting those who successfully endure trials. By starting today’s reading with “Don’t be deceived,” James underscores that we shouldn’t misunderstand God’s character (v. 16). He doesn’t tempt us to sin, for that’s contrary to His holy nature. He’s not trying to trick us into falling. He’s on our side. When He sends trials, it might not feel that way, but He truly has our best interests at heart. This is an unchanging reality. The sun and moon wax and wane, but He is their Creator and “does not change like shifting shadows.” God’s best gift is, of course, salvation in Christ: “He chose to give us birth through the word of truth” (v. 18). The “birth” is spiritual rebirth, that is, being born again. The Jewish believers to whom James wrote were indeed “firstfruits” in that they were the first believers in Jesus—the early (earliest!) church. From saving faith to mature faith, it’s all a gift of our loving Father!

When C. S. Lewis wrote The Screwtape Letters, many were impressed by his insights into the dynamics of temptation. They assumed he had done many years of theological study. He responded by referring to Psalm 36:1: “They forget that there is an equally reliable, though less credible, way of learning how temptation works. ‘My heart’—I need no other’s—‘showeth me the wickedness of the ungodly’.” God sends testing and trials, but He only allows temptations. He Himself is utterly holy and righteous. He cannot be tempted and so does not tempt us to sin (v. 13). While testing comes from outside, temptations come from within. The fact is that our own sinful desires entice us to disobey God (v. 14). When we give in, we’re “dragged away” by them. This is forceful and even violent language—the language of prey pursued and caught by a ruthless hunter. Yielding to temptation is contrasted with enduring testing and troubles. On the one hand, evil desires result in sin, and the consequence is death (v. 15). Ironically, James used the language of growth, namely conception and childbearing, to describe the genesis of sin. On the other hand, perseverance or endurance results in spiritual growth leading to mature faith (vv. 2–4). This is a very different growth process! For those who persevere under trial, God has promised the special blessing of a “crown of life” (v. 12). James was likely picturing the victory laurel presented to a winning athlete or a conquering general. But God promises an eternal reward, far more valuable than earthly riches. Part of gaining wisdom (v. 5), then, is understanding the clear-cut choice we have between one path that leads to death and another that leads to life.

“What a tragic waste,” wrote John Piper in Don’t Waste Your Life, “when people turn away from the Calvary road of love and suffering. All the riches of the glory of God in Christ are on that road. All the sweetest fellowship with Jesus is there. . . . All the deepest discoveries of God’s Word. All the most earnest prayers. They are all on the Calvary road where Jesus walks with his people. . . . On this road, and this road alone, life is Christ and death is gain.” Followers of Christ should live lives that prioritize and pursue eternity! Today’s passage underscores that mature faith understands what is of eternal value. It does so by treating poverty or “humble circumstances” as one of the trials of life (v. 9). To persevere or endure the suffering that poverty brings is therefore an opportunity to grow toward mature faith (v. 4). For this reason, the trial of poverty can be considered “pure joy” (v. 2) and poor believers can “take pride in their high position” spiritually. This is true despite the fact that poverty can be a result of sin, for example, when the rich exploit the poor (see Feb. 22). Continuing the reversal, rich believers are to “take pride in their humiliation” (v. 10; see 1 Tim. 6:17–19). Whereas worldly people boast in their wealth and social position, followers of Christ instead rejoice that the first have become last, and the last first, in the eyes of God (see Luke 13:30). James puts earthly wealth and poverty into proper spiritual perspective. Riches are temporal and thus ultimately worthless (v. 11). As even the world says, “You can’t take it with you.” To pursue such things is to head for “ruin and destruction” instead of toward mature faith (see 1 Tim. 6:8–10; Matt. 6:24).

Pastor David Gibson wrote in his book Destiny: “There is one, undivided God—‘the Lord our God is one’—and because God is like that, then he must be approached and worshiped by one undivided person: all your heart, all your soul, all your strength. In other words, all of you. Every single bit. God is not pulled in different directions. So neither should we be in our worship of him.” To worship God with an undivided heart is a mark of spiritual maturity. The way that we grow to such maturity is by persevering or enduring through trials (vv. 2–4). The term trials indicates the difficulties or troubles of life that we should expect in this fallen world. Scripture doesn’t say “if” they happen, it’s “whenever” they happen. But trials are not merely “bad stuff that happens”—they can also be tests sent by God to refine us and burn away our impurities. The phrase “mature and complete, not lacking anything” indicates a spiritual wholeness or completeness. This purpose is the only reason we can consider the process to be “pure joy.” Thankfully, we don’t have to persevere or endure on our own. If we lack wisdom about how to do so, we can ask God and He will answer (v. 5). Furthermore, He will do so “generously” and “without finding fault,” meaning that there’s no shame in asking. The key to this prayer is expectant faith (vv. 6–8). Faith is not a magic key. The point is that prayers asking for God’s will to be done in our lives will always receive a “yes” answer. To think otherwise is to be “double-minded and unstable” or to have divided loyalties, a kind of hypocrisy. Responding to trials like “a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” is immature (see Eph. 4:14) and misses the blessing of standing firm in faith (James 1:12).

The Epistle of James was written by a brother of Jesus. James did not believe in Jesus during His earthly ministry (see John 7:5) but responded in faith when Jesus appeared to him after His resurrection (see 1 Cor. 15:7). He was a leader in the Jerusalem church and made a key speech during the Jerusalem Council of a.d. 49 (Acts 15). Though he felt called to evangelize Jews, he affirmed Paul’s call to evangelize Gentiles (see Gal. 2:9). He was executed for his faith in a.d. 62. His epistle was likely the first book written in the New Testament! Since it doesn’t refer to the Jerusalem Council, it was probably written before that key event. Many scholars date it in the mid-40s or earlier, prior even to Galatians. James addressed his epistle to Jewish believers scattered throughout the Roman Empire—no doubt including those who had been persecuted and fled Jerusalem after the martyrdom of Stephen (see Acts 8:1). Given the Jewish audience, it’s no surprise that in his letter James refers or alludes to 22 books of the Old Testament. His tone and purpose are pastoral, and the letter focuses on practical matters about how to live the Christian life. Topics include obedience, good works, speaking and listening, favoritism, and the temptations of wealth and worldliness; but the main theme is persevering through trials in order to grow to mature faith (vv. 2–4). This epistle includes a mix of other genres. It often reads more like a collection of proverbs or aphorisms (its most common literary technique) than a letter, and thus it has much in common with wisdom literature. Several passages also feature prophecy-style condemnations of sin or sermon-style exhortations to righteousness.

“Our kitchens and other eating places more and more resemble filling stations, as our homes more and more resemble hotels,” author Wendell Berry observes. “‘Life is not very interesting,’ we seem to have decided, ‘Let its satisfactions be minimal, perfunctory, and fast.’” As we close this month’s study with Christ’s invitation to the thirsty to come and partake of the water of life, Wendell Berry’s criticism about our habits of eating could also be applied to our souls. The gift is free and the reward is eternal, but too many are willing to accept cheap substitutes instead. We have become persuaded that ultimate satisfaction is beyond our reach. In a way, we are right. The kind of satisfaction that Christ promises really is beyond our grasp. It is not something that we can provide for ourselves, nor are we able to attain it through merely human means. Only those who have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ have a place in the new creation. The only way to lay hold of this kind of satisfaction Jesus offers is to accept it as a gift; it is freely offered and must be freely received. Our paltry efforts to earn points or barter with God will always fail. Our best efforts at obedience will fall short. We can only do as Jesus asks and come. What could possibly keep us away? Unfortunately, it is often our own willingness to settle for something less. “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea,” C. S. Lewis warns. “We are far too easily pleased.”

A spring forms when water flows from an underground water source or aquifer to the surface, evidence of a greater source of water. The biblical metaphor of the spring also points us toward the source of eternal life. The Bible’s description of the new heavens and earth reveals that a very different order will replace the old creation. One surprising feature will be a change in geography: the new earth will no longer have any sea (v. 2). This may have symbolic significance. The sea is sometimes associated with God’s enemies in the book of Revelation. The beast who symbolizes the Antichrist comes from the sea as the dragon (Satan) stands on the shore (Rev. 12:17–13:1). The great prostitute Babylon “sits on many waters” (Rev. 17:1; 18:19). But the disappearance of the sea does not mean that there will be an absence of water in God’s newly created world. God promises to give to the thirsty “water without cost from the spring of the water of life” (Rev. 21:6). There will also be the “river of life,” which flows from the throne of God down the great street of the city that comes down from heaven (Rev. 22:1). This image conveys more than a promise of fresh water—it is a promise of eternal life. Jesus is the source of this life (John 7:37–38). In the new order of God’s creation, all the vestiges of sin will be removed, with no more sorrow, death, crying, or pain (v. 4). All aspects of the curse of sin will be removed. One alarming feature is included in John’s description of the new heavens and new earth. There will be “a fiery lake of burning sulfur,” which is further described as “the second death” (v. 8).

In 2015 the United Nations set a goal to end world hunger by the year 2030. As we enter 2019, it doesn’t seem likely that this goal will be achieved. According to the hunger relief organization Oxfam, the world produces 17 percent more food per person than it did 30 years ago, yet nearly one billion people still suffer from hunger. How to explain this? It is not a failure of technology or the Earth’s potential to sustain its inhabitants. The root problem is sin. Many of the contributing factors that lead to world hunger are the result of human behavior. War, poverty, and injustice all flow from the entrance of sin into the human experience, and hunger is part of the suffering they unleash. In addition, natural factors can create an environment in which hunger flourishes. Drought, floods, and tropical storms can all create food shortages. These too are part of the collateral damage of sin. Sin altered the created order so that the ground was cursed and its food was produced only with difficulty (see Gen. 3:17–19). The solution to the problem of world hunger will not come by human or natural means. In today’s passage we are granted a glimpse of the future. The great multitude who “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” will be delivered out of great tribulation and will be shielded from hunger and thirst (vv. 15–17). The language of this description echoes the promise of Isaiah 49:10: “They will neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the desert heat or the sun beat down on them. He who has compassion on them will guide them and lead them beside springs of water.” God will finally for all eternity abolish hunger and satisfy His people.