The Book of James

James 1:2 - “Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” (NLT)

Christian tradition holds that James, the half-brother of Jesus, wrote the book of James in the New Testament. The book is a letter written in prose discourse, likely around 62 C.E., from Jerusalem, where James was a leader in the church. The book's author is identified as "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ" in James 1:1.  The book focuses on practical action in faith and encourages readers to live consistently with what they have learned from Christ.

This month we are going to go through the book of James each Sunday and walk through what James is attempting to remind us of. What did James know about Jesus that provides such insight into how we should be living our lives?

James does such a good job of framing everyday issues for us. He reminds us that trials bring patience and wisdom (James 1:2-7). He issues a challenge to do God’s Word, don’t just speak it (James 1:22-25). James reminds us that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-17). James continues by telling us to watch our tongue, for it could be our death or blessing (James 3:8-10). We hear a clear message to resist the devil and submit to the Lord (James 4:7-8). James reminds us of how temporary things are and that we should focus on now, not tomorrow (James 4:13-15). James gets towards the end and makes sure that we know that we serve as one for the Lord (James 5:13-16).

My prayer for us through the month of September is that we look at the book of James as a sort of owners manual helping us to understand the human condition and know our place within this great big story of eternity and God through the lens of Jesus Christ. I hope that we will be reminded to live a life that looks like Jesus everyday, not just when we think people are looking.
- Pastor Mike