Act On What You Hear

James 1

When you need guidance and direction in life, read this letter from James. Start at chapter one and start reading until he hits a nerve, until he says something startling, until he points out the obvious. There are so many times in life where we're not sure what to do next, not sure what God wants us to do. We then feel the urge to open up our Bible to discover a whiff of God's will for us. The next time this happens, open up to James and read.

Not all books in the Bible offer the same kind of wisdom and guidance. Some come across as more pertinent to our personal lives. James is that kind of letter - it's not a book - it's a heart-felt letter chock full of wisdom written to persuade and convince and instruct and reprimand. Just the kind of letter you need to read. Again. And again. And again.

James is the brother of Jesus. He was once an unbeliever. He was once against Jesus. Even jealous and embarrassed. Can you relate to any of that? James is writing as the Bishop of Jerusalem. The orphans and widows of the city are struggling to survive. Some of the Christians are facing strong opposition to their allegiance to Jesus as the Messiah. There are still Jewish religious leaders and Roman government authorities that are pressuring for conformity to the status quo. James is also a pious and observant Jew. He loves and keeps Torah. He was brother to a prophet - their message he passionately embraced. He whispers the Psalms from memory as he prays, he instructs with the wisdom of the Proverbs and Ecclesiastes.

It's hard to read a chapter from James - he packs so much intense wisdom and reprimands, so many insights and encouragements. He is a gifted writer with a passion to influence Jewish Christians scattered across the Empire. He writes from a Jewish perspective to Jews who believe that Jesus is Messiah. Jewish Christians under pressure to abandon Jesus, to pursue wealth, to blame God for evil in the world, to absolve themselves of any responsibility for the widows and orphans in their community.

When you read James for direction, you may find you benefit from just a few of the ideas in the chapter. Pick the one or two sentences that stick out to you - that seem to apply to your situation. And then ask yourself what God is wanting you to learn and hear from what James wrote. And then do the very hard work of figuring out what to do next in light of what you hear. For as James makes very clear, it is not enough to just read and hear - we must live and do and act!