Thoughts for the Day

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.

My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you is lacking in wisdom, ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given you. But ask in faith, never doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind; for the doubter, being double-minded and unstable in every way, must not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

Let the believer who is lowly boast in being raised up, and the rich in being brought low, because the rich will disappear like a flower in the field. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the field; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. It is the same with the rich; in the midst of a busy life, they will wither away.

(Lectionary, New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

The letter of James is the first of a group of letters addressed to Christians in general. It was probably written by the brother of Jesus (rather than the Apostle James) who became the leader of the church in Jerusalem. His letter is practical, showing us how to live the Christian life. To many of those who embraced this new life is was heady stuff, for they no longer had to obey all the rules and regulations of the Law of Moses. Some might have thoughts this meant that it didn't matter how they lived, after all God was offering them out of His love, free access to salvation - that is forgiveness of their sins and life eternal. But James says otherwise!

If we have real faith, then it will always spill over into our ordinary, everyday, life. It will inevitably affect everything we do - how we think about ourselves, and how we relate to others. But James says we need to constantly look again at every part of our life to ensure that we apply our Christian standards and values.

All of this, of course, depends on our faith. James says there is no room for doubt. A doubter is like a small boat on the sea with a rip tide driving it ever further away from shore, blown hither and thither at the mercy of the wind and the current. There is no stability.

As Christians put your faith in God, let Him guide you, and let your faith spill over into action.

Holy Spirit,
power of God,
increase our faith
and fill our life with Your strength,
so there is no place for doubt.
Help us to put that faith into action
so that all our life is an acted parable
of Your love.
Amen.