Do you ever read the Bible and it seems like God shines a huge light right on a specific text that opens up an entire passage or book? That happened to me today. I went to James, which I've been drawn to lately, with this question: "Where does the strength come from to do all these things that James calls us to do?" James is a great book, but it's different than a lot of the New Testament in that it doesn't spend a lot of time on the Holy Spirit or even Jesus. It spends more time on what a person looks like who follows Jesus and talks about wisdom more than any other New Testament book.
This morning it was leaving me with that perplexing question, so I told myself, "Start from the beginning and surely the answer will be in there somewhere." It turns out the answer was in the first paragraph. "If any of you is lacking wisdom he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault." My definition of wisdom had hindered me from understanding the meaning of this statement. My definition of wisdom had everything to do with understanding with your head. James definition has everything to do with understanding with your feet.
Let me explain what I mean. If you truly have a God-given understanding of how to live the Christian life that doesn't just mean you will follow that with action it means you are acting it out. The wisdom of God is full of power as well. If you are not acting out your faith then you don't have faith. It's not as if the wisdom is there and it's just not making it into your every day life. The wisdom is simply not there. Wisdom that God grants is full of strength to do the thing which He has shown you is right to do.
This unlocked the book for me and so I wanted to share it with you. If you go on to read the remainder of the book it all points back to this God-given-power-packed wisdom, contrasting it with the foolishness of man. In fact many of the passages in the book have an implied "you fool!" at the end of it. I'll give you an example of what I mean. James 1:23-24 reads, "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and...goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like (you fool!)." Or how about this one. The passage demands impartiality toward rich and poor from a church that was apparently showing favoritism toward the rich. It concludes in 2:6-7 with this. "Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong? (you fools!)"
I realize this is longer than the usual post, but it's exciting information that will help you understand James as well as live the Christian life. The power for living the life we should live comes from God. Here's the good news, if your lacking that power/understanding, you can ask God and he'll give it to you. There's no specific passage today, just go anywhere in James and pick one applying this idea of the wisdom of God. Here's a link to James if you want it. Have a great day!
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