James challenges his readers: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (4:7-8). If we don’t pay careful attention, we miss the fact that this statement is sandwiched between verses encouraging the reader to choose humility as a way of life. This is a spiritual discipline that takes effort, but James knows it is the only way forward.
It is so strange that a tiny part of our bodies, our tongues, can make such a big difference in our pursuit of holiness. If we let ourselves, we can cause serious damage with our tongues. In Chapter 3, James helps us understand just how dangerous our words can be, and he encourages us to seek God's help in taming the tongue.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, our proclamation of faith is validated in our demonstration of good works. When Jesus is acknowledged as the good King who sits on the throne over all of our desires, it changes the way we live out our faith.
James left no room in his letter for the idea of hearing the truth and not doing what it says. He didn't want his readers to deceive themselves into thinking they could be Christians merely by believing the right things about Jesus. Following Jesus requires action! As a disciple, you not only have to believe Christ is worth following, but you also have to take steps of faith to deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow Him daily!
James begins his letter with a greeting to his audience, the Jews in dispersion. The Jewish people had been scattered all around the world as their nation was conquered by Assyria and Babylon, forcing them into exile. While some of the Jews returned to Israel, many of God’s people found themselves far from their homeland and their people, refugees in a foreign land. If that wasn’t hard enough, by following Jesus as Messiah, these Jewish believers were also persecuted by their own community, some even killed. These are the circumstances around James's opening words, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds.” How could James tell people going through the hardest time in their lives to have joy? How could he say that to us today?
The book of James is all about practical advice for how to live wisely and with integrity. All throughout his letter, James is encouraging Christians to endure whatever difficulties might come our way, knowing that God will use those struggles to help us to mature in our faith! Before we dive into the book of James, it will be useful to know a few things about James and what was going on when he wrote this letter.
There are times in life when we feel so deflated we just want to give up. Many people James wrote to - the poor and the persecuted - felt that way. Can I really go on? Jesus, where are you? Why haven't you come back yet? James opened his letter with the topic of suffering, and he closed his letter with a call for patience in suffering.