James | The Wisdom Letter – The Devotional Guy™

I started reading Proverbs yesterday, and it got me thinking about wisdom. Not just the kind of wisdom we read about. The kind we actually live.

So beginning today, Thursdays are going to be a little different here on The Devotional Guy.

I want to take a deep dive into the book of James, the book that I consider the wisdom letter of the New Testament. I’ve been particularly fond of James since I met young Skyla, who wrote in her Bible that she wanted to memorize the entire book of James, which her grandmother tells me she did. Sadly, when Skyla wrote her goal in her beloved Bible, she had no idea her time on Earth would be cut short.

As James himself observes, we are but a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes (James 4:14).

James is only five chapters long, but it doesn’t waste much time getting to the point. And it packs a punch.

Christianity isn’t measured up and to the right. Our faith is going to be tested. Trials are going to come.

Furthermore, we’re going to have to watch what we say. We’re also going to have to deal with anger, favoritism, pride, temptation, greed, relationships, and how we treat other people.

In other words…

James gets down to the nitty gritty.

And sorta I like that.

You see, sometimes I don’t need another theological concept to contemplate. I need somebody to remind me how my faith is supposed to show up on a workday afternoon when I’m tired, frustrated, or dealing with someone who is testing my last nerve.

That’s where James comes in. He offers up sound advice on what it looks like to live a life modeled after his brother Jesus’ life.

Over the coming Thursdays, we’re going to slow down and explore this little powerhouse of a book, hopefully one passage at a time.

We’ll look at what James says, what it meant to his original readers, and what it might mean for us today.

Biblical wisdom isn’t about knowing more.

It’s about living differently because we know Him. I believe that’s what spoke to young Skyla about the book of a James. It was a practical instruction book in how to live a Christlike life.

Had she survived the car wreck that took her life, I have no doubt Skyla would have been President someday. But that wasn’t how her story was meant to be. Today, she’s dancing with Jesus, wearing her favorite pair of colorful socks.

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.

James‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/jas.3.17.ESV

Friend, I hope you’ll grab your Bible and join me as we journey through James.

Be warned: I have a feeling James is going to step on a few toes along the way.

Mine included.