James 1:17-27; August 28-September 3, Year B:

Straight AheadThe letter of James might be considered a kind of wisdom literature for the New Testament. We are reminded first of all in this passage that God is the giver of every good and perfect gift, and that with God, there is no variableness or change. Since everything ultimately comes from God, it is good to remember that good can come even from those things we might consider as tragic. God's purposes are at work in all the affairs of men. This fact is a great comfort to the Christian. God's purposes will not change. We don't have to worry about anyone persuading God to do otherwise than His plan allows. His will shall prevail. He has called us forth by the word of truth, through the power of the Holy Spirit to be a "firstfruits" among His creatures. We who believe in Christ are His special creatures. In light of this, James tells us how we are to act, especially in the presence of God. We are to be quick to hear, but slow to speak and slow to get angry. We are to put away filthiness and rancor and wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word. This brings up an interesting question. How do we respond to the Word of God as it is preached or read? Do we respond? Do we take it into account as we make our plans and consider our decisions and actions, or do we just walk away with the thought that this was all very interesting, and maybe we ought to do something about it some time? Do we deceive ourselves, like the person who looks in the mirror and leaves without making any changes in what he sees? Do we forget what we are like, or do we let the word of God change us in some significant ways? The closing verses of this chapter and indeed most of the letter of James gives us specific examples in how we are to apply the word of God in our lives. The letter of James does not negate the concept of justification by faith. (It's too bad that Martin Luther had such an aversion to this portion of Scripture, for he misunderstood its intent.) The letter of James does, however, challenge us to put our faith into action. If we really believe the word of God, we show it by the way we live.