Tuesday 11 April 2023

26. James - doesn't sparkle

Short and simple, but not memorable

1. James writes to the people of faith scattered across Israel; he encourages them to live out their faith fully and to trust in God
2. He exhorts the church to have an active faith; that their words and actions will be aligned with what they claim to believe
3. Teachers beware, words may seem small but they carry a great power; if the motivation behind your teaching is worldly rather than Godly then your words can do great harm, but if your life is marked with peace, quietness and obedience, then your teaching will be trustworthy
4. When it feels as if everything is going wrong, that means you are not putting God first in your life; stop chasing after worldly things and turn to God again
5. Wealth cannot save you from death; live in the moment and trust in God for your future, and above all, don't make promises you can't keep

There's good stuff in this letter - encouragement, sage advice, warning - but it misses something that Paul's letters have in abundance. There's no personal connection for a start; no personal greetings, or ramblings about what's happened in the community. James is much more reserved and business-like. There's also no direct mention of Jesus, which is odd for a Christian epistle. Overall, it left me cold

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