The brother of Jesus, who is also bishop of Jerusalem, writes with urgency and intensity. This letter of his, it's chock full of wisdom, ethics, some theology, and lots of love. It's an open letter, not addressed to any one person. It's been sent, multiple copies of it, to Jews who are Christians, scattered all over the Roman Empire. Hence the wide-ranging topics covered - not every community of believers - faces the same struggles. And same for you as you work your way slowly through the epistle.
Whereas in reading through Torah you get a mixture of stories and ritual law, here in the letter from James we get a sermon, a dense listing out of exhortations to keep the faith, how to live out the faith, how to love others, how to deal with adversity. For obvious reasons, this is still a popular letter to read. The chapter divisions were added to it hundreds of years later. When you read it, don't feel obligated to stick to the chapter - focus on paragraphs, or verses, that which encourages, convicts, reveals.
Each chapter is worth reading through several times, slowly. Find the section that seems to speak to you, listen for what the Spirit wants to prick in your heart. And then chew on that verse, that paragraph. Ask God what he wants you to do with what you read. Often times you already know, but you need to spend time talking to Him about it.
And so for us, kind mercy ought to win over judgment. Our faith and our works ought to be seamless when it comes to loving those different from us. You may not be rich, you may not be poor - do not favor the one over the other. However, most people don't have a problem of valuing the poor over the rich.
If you say you love God, then you will love rich people as God does - which means being unimpressed with their wealth and accomplishments. And if you say you love God, then you will love poor people - which means withholding disdain for their situation and predicaments. And if you say you love God, then kind mercy wins through how you deal with each person in your life.
The number of people in America who live at or below the poverty line has drastically increased to 15%. It is estimated that over 20% of the working population is without full-time employment. More people then ever are relying on government subsidies and handouts to get by. Large chunks of the middle-class are becoming part of the ever-swelling working class. Medical bills account for the descent of many. Click here for an interesting article on current poverty in America. It is sad.
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