Category: Devotions

We are now entering the crucial part of this letter from James. He doesn’t hold back as he calls out the substandard faith that Christians have if they do not follow up with works.

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” (James 2 v 14-17)

There is a faith that is dead. Faith is therefore meant to be alive. It is given for activity, production, creativity and nowhere is this more seen than in helping those in need. James’ heart is for the poor. He keeps mentioning them. This is different to the works that Paul dismisses which is the hope that our religious duties lead to salvation. James would agree with this position I am sure but his mind is this: if you confess you have faith then it needs to be seen and if not then that is a type of faith which is dead and dead faith never saves.

The ultimate is not just faith in Jesus, following Him and going to heaven.

It is also to live out that faith to those here on earth.

Imagine for a moment if every disciple of Jesus woke today with one thought only and that is to do good. To alleviate someone’s hurt, to listen to someone, to clothe and give food to the poor.

The immature enter ‘their’ church and are more interested in ‘serve us’ than ‘service’. After a while they begin to say ‘it’s not working for me here.’ NO. The church was never meant to work for you.

The mature follower of Jesus stops asking ‘who’s going to meet my needs?’ and starts asking, ‘whose needs can I meet?’

You don’t need a title or a trophy to do a good work. You don’t need training to be nice to someone, to help them smile and to make life a little easier. You just have to think less of yourself.

There is a faith that is not real. It’s not the genuine article. It believes one thing but does not act on it. It is self-centred. It stubbornly listens to the needs of the world around them and doesn’t do a thing. Faith with no deeds, no action, James tells us is dead. 

Christians need to focus on being kind. It’s a general statement I admit but we live in a world where people are needing grace and mercy more than ever.

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” (James 2 v 12-13)

As mentioned before James relies a lot on the Sermon of the Mount. Within that message Jesus said these words, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” (Matthew 5 v 7)

Jesus brought mercy and nowhere is that more seen than in His death.

At the cross we see justice and mercy collide. Justice poured out on Jesus and mercy poured out on the world. Mercy is not giving us what we deserve, judgment. At the cross It looked like the world had taken advantage of God. God loses and the world is free. God waits and as He waits He continues to show mercy.

On that mountainside Jesus taught the disciples in ear-shot of the crowds. Who were these people? “… people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed …” (Matthew 4:24)

Would you have these people on your team?

Within those crowds were also the Religious leaders and the Roman sympathisers, ruling with oppression, judgment and condemnation.

Is this the message: blessed are the strong, those with back-bone and those who uphold the standards of God?

Who is right amongst the crowd? Is it those who don’t break any rules?

Jesus says those who are right are those who look like God. They are merciful. They look like the world has taken advantage of them. It looks like they have lost and their world has won. The world has hung a sign up saying, ‘You are not welcome here’. Happy are these people in the kingdom. Happy not because they have achieved mercy but mercy in disqualifying them from their world has opened for them the door to the blessed kingdom. This is not a list it is about being last.

Have you been taken advantage of? Walked right over? Ignored by your world? Forgotten in your brokenness? It is a mirror of God at the cross. Mercy is yours.

So if you have received mercy then James says you must give mercy. In fact if you don’t give mercy then you haven’t received mercy.

James tells us there is another law as well as the Royal Law. It is the Law of Freedom. We don’t get judged as we deserve so even though we may be law breakers, we can live under the law of freedom where God’s mercy flows free, all because of what Jesus has done for us. God acts in mercy, so we too are to do the same.

When we truly grasp that we are under the law of freedom, we too are to speak and act under that same law. Jesus came to show mercy. We demonstrate Jesus when we show mercy. This is why those who do not show mercy will not receive it – because their lack of mercy shows they have never really grasped the gospel of mercy.

The way we reveal mercy to others will indicate whether we truly know Jesus. 

So James is saying to us by being partial and showing favouritism, we’re not just breaking God’s law, but we may not have understood God’s gospel either.

If there is one thing, maybe 2 things, that God wants you to focus on in your life what are they? If there are 2 things that He wants you to give your attention to then what would they be? If everything else in life pales into insignificance compared to 2 things do you know what they are? If every dispute and every division that has ever been created by Christians went through the filter of just 2 things then there actually would be no hurt from disunity ever. Of course you know what I am thinking of. Here it is, the royal law.

“And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:28-31)

Love God alone. Don’t give your allegiance to other gods and idols that demand your time and energy. God deserves your best, your total love. This love is not emotional only but it is an action word that demands loyalty and faithfulness. Love needs action for it to be love.

Moses led God’s people with laws based on our love for God. These laws which were primarily about order within community were not trying to earn God’s favour but a demonstration of our love for Him. That’s why Jesus said the second important commandment is to love others.

The 2 things. The Royal law is to love the only one God alone and to make a commitment that you will demonstrate your love for Him by your love for others.

James speaks into this:-

“If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbour as yourself,”you are doing right. But if you show favouritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”also said, “You shall not murder.”If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.” (James 2 v 8-11)

James says partiality, showing favouritism, is sinful.

Moses said, “Do not show partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike.” (Deuteronomy 1:17)

The Jewish Christians would have been so familiar with this.

Partiality/favouritism is a sin, and we can’t be excused from breaking one part of the Royal Law because we are keeping all the rest. 

The Church can be so quick to show favouritism and partiality by marginalising people, when James tells us, if you fail at this, you’ve failed at all of it. 

How many times do we hear belittling comments from a Christian about another Christian or about the Church across the town or even their own Church and their Pastor? For some it just flows as natural as any words. They don’t realise that it is stopping the blessing that comes from the Royal Law.

James’ words are strong. If you do not love others within the family of God (even if they are different to you, culturally and in practice) then you are sinning and breaking God’s Law. You may not have murdered anyone or even got angry with anyone; you may not have stolen and you may be a great giver; you may not have committed adultery and in fact your eyes are pure with that regard; but if you are not loving others like you love yourself then you are not only not loving God but you are breaking His Royal Law for your life. The 2 major things that He is expecting you to do in this life. The only 2 things that really matter are being broken.

Now you can disagree and you may not have wonderful feelings towards that individual, but the love within the Royal Law is bigger than that.

That’s what God wants. This is not a Church’s position. This is God’s desire. Let us do all we can to please Him today.

As mentioned before the two main influences of James’ letter come from the Sermon on the Mount teaching where Jesus introduces us to an upside down Kingdom but also the Wisdom found in Proverbs especially ch 1-9. It is the wisdom of God that we will see come through time and time again.

So before we read our next verses let’s remind ourselves of what Jesus said in His sermon:

“For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew 5:46-48

With that in our mind we see what James says and it is in alignment with Jesus’ message of no partiality.

“Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have dishonoured the poor. 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 blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?” (James 2 v 5-7)

Partiality is a major issue for James because God’s righteousness is the major issue for James. God is righteous and doesn’t show favouritism/partiality to anyone, so this must be the pattern we are to follow.

James is saying if they only look after the wealthy and despise the poor then what they are saying is that the poor are the sinners and the wealthy are automatically Christian. The Bible says that all have sinned.

James uses this particular scenario about wealth and riches compared to poverty, but that’s because this is what was relevant to the Christians then. The absurd thing is the very people they had given the best seats to are the same ones that James says were oppressing them and taking them to court!

It just shows that partiality doesn’t have anything to do with the actual person’s character.

Favouritism or partiality contradicts not only God’s choice (v5), but it also contradicts God’s law and God’s mercy. 

If we have been brought up in the church we have certainly viewed righteousness in terms of private morality. Yet James was of the belief that it also refers to day to day living in which a person conducts all relationships in family and society with fairness, generosity and equity.

When will we recognise that the heart-beat of God is all about others? When will we stop getting angry and het up with people’s failings and instead get angry about poverty, slavery, abuse, inequality, injustice, unfairness?

It’s time for us to treat people the way God treats them.

This is a word a friend introduced me to yesterday. It is also called face blindness where though a person will still see parts of a face normally, all the faces may look the same. He said, “Given your devotion this morning perhaps that describes impartiality/no favourites: “we should see all faces as being the same.”  James knew this even before the word was created.

“My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 1 v 1-4)

Was this a hypothetical situation? Or had James heard this was happening? What we do know is that though this may seem an exaggerated form it is happening every day and at times very close to us.

• We look at the cover. The outward appearance. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in.

We have not got to know this person yet. We have not even entered a conversation with them.

What is it about the person that makes us uncomfortable? What is it that we don’t approve of, or don’t like? The thing is, usually no one knows you are looking at the cover.

• We judge the cover. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes.

We have made an assessment of the value of the person by what we see. But how can what we see determine what is really of value?

• We treat people differently according to how we have categorised them. “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet.”

“To treat a person or particular group of people differently, especially in a worse way from the way in which you treat other people, because of their race, gender, sexuality etc” according to the Cambridge Dictionary. James knew it without a dictionary, “have you not discriminated among yourselves?” The categories can be quite a long list amongst Christians keen to keep their Church pure.

• We become worse than what we have judged. “…become judges with evil thoughts.”

When we use externals to make quick judgements to change future behaviour all based on bad motives it is called partiality and that is a dangerous and a divisive place to be.

Partiality can lead us to a place of pride and of self-righteousness. So James is saying in order ‘to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.’ 1 v27, we must not be like this. Acting in this way is actually a rejection of the religion that God accepts. 

Let me end this by going back to my friend and a big shout out to him, Paul Robinson, CEO of Release International, whose founder was the amazing Richard Wurmbrand, https://releaseinternational.org

Paul has a friend, an Anglican Priest who is Eritrean, Dr Berhane Asmelash and recently he heard him speak on the topic of Jars of Clay. “Here (in the West) we make far too much of the jar and we judge by what it looks like but in my country all the jars are cracked so all you see is the treasure.” That was the quote of the day for yesterday!

Ponder on that today as you think on your new word, Prosopagnosia.

I came across a new app of a company that buys used books, dvds and cds and all you have to do is scan the ISBN on the product and it will tell you how much it will buy it from you. So that’s what I did yesterday and I was astonished to find that the books that I thought were worth a lot they didn’t want and then obscure books which I can’t even remember reading, they were going to pay a few pounds for! I guess I should never judge a book by its cover.

It is believed that the phrase was first written by George Eliot in his 1860 novel, The Mill on the Floss.

It is also found in this equally important work stemming from the original character books by Rev Awrdy!

Thomas first saw Terence the Tractor…

…ploughing in a field one day…

…and he said, “My oh my, you do look funny.

Where are your wheels, are your wheels, are your wheels?

However do you move along?

You really do look funny.”

“Don’t be so rude,” said Terence the Tractor

“I don’t have wheels like you

Because my caterpillar tracks are so much better.

And I can go anywhere, anywhere, anywhere

I don’t need rails like you.

One day I will prove it, show you how I do it

Then you will understand…”

(Chorus)

That you don’t judge a book by its cover

Don’t make your mind up too soon

Things aren’t necessarily…

…always what they appear to be

Don’t judge a book by its cover

Don’t make your mind up too soon

Never-Never, Never-Never, Never-Never, Never-Never

Never judge a book by its cover.

Sure enough, one winter’s day

When the snow lay deep and hard

Thomas got stuck, he was in trouble

And who do you think came along, came along

And rescued him that day

The snow didn’t matter to Terence the Tractor

Now Thomas understands…

(Chorus)

That you don’t judge a book by its cover

Don’t make your mind up too soon

Things aren’t necessarily…

…always what they appear to be

Don’t judge a book by its cover

Don’t make your mind up too soon

Never-Never, Never-Never, Never-Never, Never-Never

Never judge a book by its cover.

Let’s turn to the Bible!

“My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism. ² Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. ³ If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” ⁴ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 2 v 1-4)

James must have heard that something of plain snobbery was taking place in the churches. Following on from the command “to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” he uses this illustration to make that point. This is the pollution of the world that we need to watch out for.

He begins by urging us not to show partiality, as you hold to the faith in Christ, or as you remain faithful, don’t be showing favouritism. 

Interestingly the word partiality/favouritism in Greek derives from two other Greek words meaning ‘face’, and ‘take/admit/receive’, so literally it means to take or receive a person according to their face. 

James says don’t treat people any differently because of who they are, whether that be the way they look or dress, how much wealth they have, their race, religion, gender, sexuality, physical ability. Don’t display partiality thinking that these things somehow determine the way we see others, and treat others. 

We have a few other words that describe this behaviour:

Bias, discrimination and prejudice. When we use these words it sounds a little stronger doesn’t it. But really this is how favouritism can be defined here.

And James says, don’t do it. Don’t be polluted by this attitude of the world. Be different. Don’t make up your mind too soon about a person. Never judge a book by its cover.

Look around you. You don’t need to look far until you see need. With the world that has shrunk because of social media then our neighbours can be living thousands of miles away and yet are very close to us, they are as reachable as the neighbour next door. Even in 2024 with the advancement of the world there are still many who spend every day wondering how they can eat and where will they get water from and how will they pay their debt. James has something to say:-

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1 v 27)

How do you treat people who do not have what you have? Who are you helping right now? James throughout the letter is very keen for us to understand and practice the importance of community. He warns us not to be ‘polluted by the world’ and though this could be that of morality, within the sentence it could also be that we are not self-centred and that is the God-morals to hold to.

Micah 6:8 ‘And what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.’

The term mercy is the Hebrew word chesedh, God’s unconditional grace and compassion. The word for justice is the Hebrew word mishpat. Mishpat puts the emphasis on the action, Chesedh puts it on the attitude (or motive) behind the action.

To walk with God then, we must do justice out of merciful love.

The word mishpat in its various forms occurs over 200 times in the Hebrew Old Testament.

Its most basic meaning is to treat people fairly, rightly. It also means giving people their rights.

The mishpat or justness of a society according to the bible is evaluated by how it treats the groups of people found in Zechariah 7:10-11 “This is what the Lord Almighty says: Administer true justice, show mercy and compassion to one another. DO not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the immigrant or the poor.” James would have known this when he wrote of widows and orphans.

Any neglect shown to the needs of such people is not called merely a lack of mercy or charity, but a violation of justice, of mishpat. God loves and defends those with the least economic and social power and so should we. That is what it means to ‘do justice’.

Deut 10:17-18 “The Lord your God …defends the cause/mishpat of the fatherless and the widow and loves the immigrant giving him food and clothing”

So often God is introduced as the defender of the vulnerable. This is so significant.

So for the bible writers to introduce God as ‘a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows’ is significant.

This is one of the main things he does in the world. He identifies with the powerless, he takes up their cause. This sets our God apart from all the other ancient gods whose power was always channelled through and identified with the elite of society. Our God was and is always on the side of the powerless and of justice for the poor, needy and vulnerable.

Most people who are downtrodden by abusive power are those who had little power to begin with, God gives them particular attention and has a special place in his heart for them.

If God’s character includes zeal for justice that leads him to have the tender love and closest involvement with the socially weak, then what should God’s people be like? They must be people who are likewise passionately concerned for the weak and vulnerable.

Sometimes as Christians we get more concerned about our moral living and personal righteousness and obeying the laws of purity, than about living about the commandment of doing justice, loving mercy and speaking up for those who cannot speak up for themselves. 

It’s time for us to get bothered about what really bothers God.

Do women talk more than men? You may have read how women use 20,000 words a day compared to the 7,000 that men utter. It stems back to a 1993 marriage guidance pamphlet and strangely used by Brizendine, a neuropsychiatrist in his 2006 book, which, after being challenged promised to remove the figures in future editions. Comparing all the research that has been done over the years then the difference between who uses more words is negligible.

But here is another question: what is coming out of our mouths within the testing time?

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.” (James 1 v 26)

There is a language of the world and a language of the Kingdom of God which is very different.

Remember the story of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. At one point he carries the beautiful maiden high into the towers. They are talking to each other and he begins to weep. She asks him, “What’s wrong?” He replies, “I never knew how ugly I was until I saw how beautiful you are.” In the same way the vocabulary of a Christian can expose the empty words of a non-believer. This can be seen especially during a testing moment.

The words that flow from the Spirit-filled believer is like honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones (Proverbs 16 v24).

When you speak, Jesus speaks. When people listen to you, they listen to Jesus.

Our responsibility is to choose words to use during the tough season.

• A tight rein means you won’t be fooled to overlook any wrong you have committed.
• A tight rein means your inward holiness is displayed to the world.
• A tight rein means you make what you believe valuable.
• A tight rein means you don’t add to the hurt that has already taken place.
• A tight rein exposes other people’s sin.
• A tight rein means that you won’t face any regrets.

There are many who highlight their Bibles with a marker pen but their Bible never marks them.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.” (James 1 v 22-25)

This morning you will probably look in the mirror. You will check yourself out. You do it most days. “I’ve seen better but I’ve seen worse.” Every day you make a choice. You could walk away if you want because you are so busy and have many things to do. Maybe a few hours later you could tell a friend, “I spent 1 hour looking in the mirror this morning.” The response could be, “1 minute combing your hair would have been good.”

James says God’s Word is like a mirror. When you look into the mirror you see yourself as you really are and you have a decision to make: what will you do about what you see? James says that the Word of God brings freedom when you do it. That God sets you free within obedience. It may be hard to do what God tells us to do but it brings a quality of life to us that we could never achieve or the world ever give to us.

The mark of any disciple is obedience.

For us to be in the image of Christ, we need to know we are not first but second. We are not leading everything but following. We are not in charge but conforming ourselves to Him and not to our rights. We live in a society which looks so nice in that everyone is free to be whoever they want to be. But this is not true as a disciple of Jesus.

It is not more leadership conferences that are needed. But we do need to learn more about what it means to follow.

Hear through opening your eyes, slowing your life down, in prayer, meditation of the Bible, listening to others. Be taught.

Obey through change, through the difficult day of testing, it may not be the devil attacking you, it may just be the testing and perfecting of your obedience by God. So don’t run ahead thinking that hearing and obeying doesn’t apply and it is too slow a process for you. Neither become embittered by your life.

Look in the mirror and do something about it. If you do you will surely be blessed.

This chapter James is helping us to understand that we will all be tested to be approved by God. During that testing the tempter is near and we must resist and later James will tell us if we do we know he will flee (4:7). God is good. He gives good things and He is speaking to us through the testing. The question is whether we can hear Him.

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.” (James 1 v 19-21)

Can you hear Him?

I love The Message on this: “Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear.”

1. Lead with your ears! Jesus often rebuked the Pharisees, ‘Have you not heard?’ They had heard God’s Word, they knew God’s Word, but had not been able to apply God’s Word to themselves individually.
2. Follow up with your tongue! How often do we speak before we listen when we come to prayer within our testing time? How can we speak when we do not know what God is wanting to say?
3. Let anger struggle along in the rear! How easy it is to be angry towards God when tested. Get rid of ‘This is not fair’ attitude.

There is one more beautifully written understanding of what James has written. “In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life.”

Within the testing we may have our own opinions and desires, we may know what justice looks like and we may want the world to know it. James gives a contrast. Don’t be like that. He has already told us we were birthed by the word of truth, v18, now he says ‘accept the word planted in you’. Basically let God’s Word be heard within you, let it shape your responses and let the words of the prophet Jeremiah be known, “‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” (Jer 31:33).

And finally … this will “save you” within the testing. Not only within the testing but for your whole life on earth bringing you to your ultimate salvation. Amen!