The Epistle of James is a handbook to deal with every area of the Christian faith: who you are, what you do, what you say, what you feel, and what you have. A faith-filled life requires you to address each of these areas. James (one of the twenty-two epistles in the New Testament) gives you needed advice to experience the fullness of an active Christian life. Your life won’t change until you move your faith from abstract to concrete by acting on it.
James (the half-brother of Jesus) encourages believers to live consistently in what they have learned, but also to mature in their faith. Throughout the book, you will find a consistent theme of patience and perseverance during trials and temptations. James encourages believers to live humbly by godly insight rather than worldly wisdom and to pray in all situations. Here are ten lessons from the book of James on living out the Christian faith:
1.
Rejoice in
Trials [James 1:2-4]: James calls us to rejoice in our
suffering, but it’s easier to fuss. Fretting stirs the pot of anger,
resentment, bitterness, and an unwillingness to forgive, and when those
emotions control your behavior, sin is the result. Trials serve God’s purpose
in our lives by giving us an opportunity to turn what we believe into action.
Faith comes alive when we exercise trust and joy in God’s presence in our
lives. Rejoicing in your trials becomes easier when you can focus on the reason
for your hope.
2.
Submit to God [James 4:7-10]: Our God is the God of love and
victory, and the way to experience that love and victory is through submitting
to Him. We submit to God’s love when we recognize that the only reason we live
and move and be is because of His love. If we want to live from a place of
victory, then we must submit to our commander-in-chief, which means that we
might actually have to remove certain behaviors or patterns of thoughts from
our lives. Submission leads us into a deeper grace with God because it requires
us to humble ourselves before Him. God gives grace to the humble and opposes
the proud.
3.
Control Your
Tongue [James 3:9-12]: At first glance, James presents us
with an impossible picture: the untamable tongue. He likens controlling the
tongue to a forest set ablaze by a single spark. It’s like the time I
participated in a paper lantern lighting event: real flames, dry ground, and
paper. One wrong move or gust of wind, and the outcome would have transitioned
from beautiful to devastating. Our words have the power to bring life or
destruction. If, with your speech, you praise God and curse man, how can you
truly say that your faith changes your life? Let God redeem your speech by
thinking before you speak.
4.
Accept Others [James 2:12-13]: James tells us that when we show
favoritism we’ve discriminated amongst ourselves and become judges with evil
thoughts. What do you do when you meet a cranky person in the store? Do you
ignore her, but smile at the woman with the cute toddler because she seems more
approachable? Both people need an encounter with the living God who is alive in
you. Remember how God has accepted you, and then extend that acceptance to all.
Mercy triumphs over judgment. You’ve received mercy, now extend it to
others.
5.
Resist
Temptation [James 1:13-15]: Desire is a strong motivator in
our lives, and temptation plays it like a bow on a fiddle. It’s as if it knows
exactly which string to pluck at just the right moment. It’s tempting to
respond with hatred to the person who makes your life miserable because they
deserve what they dish out. When this occurs, be aware that your temptations
are playing on the desire for revenge; remember, then, revenge doesn’t glorify
God. What does glorify God is overlooking an offense instead. Be aware of the
tricks of temptations, and don’t be deceived.
6.
Rest in God [James 1:21-22]: Resting in God is not passive, but
full of action and adventure. James instructs us that living righteously
involves getting rid of moral filth and evil in your life. When our spirit is
awakened to God’s truth and we choose to do nothing with it, our hearts are
filled with unrest. We must decide to live righteously, but then we must act on
that choice and follow through. Examine your life for areas where you know you
may not be applying God’s principles for living right before Him, and as you
make the changes to live righteously, your heart will know rest.
7.
Assist Others [James 2:22]: James features Abraham and Isaac
as proof that faith and actions work together to make faith complete. Would it
have been faith if Abraham had waited to obey God before He provided the
sacrifice? It’s obedience that grows, strengthens, and enlivens our faith. It
takes faith to step out into the unknown as an act of obedience. But our faith
grows as God shows up in our obedience. Do you believe God enough to obey Him
in faith? He will equip, provide, and come through for you. Serve others as an
act of obedience to God, and then watch your faith be strengthened.
8.
Pursue Godly
Wisdom [James 3:17-18]: If your tongue is the untamable
member of your body, then what must you do? The bridle for our tongues starts
in our hearts, moves to our minds, and comes out of our mouths. A changed heart
is a heart refined by God’s wisdom, which is what gives us the right words to
say at the right time. But how do we know the difference between godly wisdom
and worldly wisdom? James provides us with the criteria to decipher between the
two. Choose God’s wisdom and let what resides in your heart be pure,
peace-loving, considerate, submissive, mercy-full, good, impartial, and
sincere. Pursue Godly wisdom, and your heart will change.
9.
Exercise
Patience in Suffering [James 5:11]: Maturing in faith requires
patience and perseverance when we suffer. Who wants to be patient in their
suffering? We run to the closest thing that gives us relief. We numb our
emotions with food, drink, shopping, entertainment, and the pursuit of
pleasure. But when the numbness wears away, we feel the suffering again, so we
run back to our vices. We could learn much from Naomi. She owned her suffering.
She entered into it, and didn’t try to numb it away. We call her blessed
because she persevered, but she called herself blessed because God redeemed her
suffering. Be patient in suffering. Persevere in trusting God. God is moving
even when we can’t see Him.
10.
Pray in Faith [James 5:13-16]: James references Elijah, an
ordinary man who God used to accomplish the extraordinary. In 1 Kings 17, Elijah prayed and God answered, stopping any rainfall for
three years. Pray when you’re sad, happy, mad, joyful, hurt, or pleased.
Confess your weaknesses to a trusted Bible-believing friend and ask for prayer.
Confession stops shame's power and the prayer of faith bring healing. You might
be ordinary, but you serve an extraordinary God who longs to rise up within you
to do extraordinary things through you.
“The tongue is a blazing
fire seeking to ignite an entire world of vices. The tongue is unique among all
parts of the body because it is capable of corrupting the whole body. If that were not enough, it ignites and consumes the course of creation
with a fuel that originates in hell itself.” (James
3:6, VOICE)[i]
[i] Sources used:
·
“10
Lessons from the Book of James on Living Out Our Faith” by Jessica Van Roekel
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