James Bible Study Week One: James 1:1-8

For those of you who are studying James with me this summer, here’s your chance to chime in. If you aren’t studying James with me, and you would like to, leave your email address in the comments section below so I can send you the weekly study guide. Be sure to use the following format (shannonATbeingagirlbooks.com) so as not to get spammed.

Well, let me just say, there’s nothing like kicking off your summer by talking about trials and needing wisdom! When I first decided to tackle a book of the Bible this summer, I initially selected James because of its length. Simply put, it was short enough that I could sufficiently study the entire book over my summer break from Women’s Bible Study and Thrive. It somehow slipped my mind that James deals with some slightly unpleasant subject matter. But, honestly, the topics of trials and wisdom couldn’t have been timelier for me.

I don’t feel comfortable sharing the details of my particular trial on the internet at this particular time (although I may get there…we’ll see). But suffice to say, the words I’ve been studying in James have cut to the core of who I am, and they have been carving out the character of Christ in me. If I am willing and eager to learn as I study James this summer, I am confident that I won’t be the same person by the end of this summer. The Word of God really is living and active just like Hebrews 4:12 says!

Below you will find the things I found most interesting about this week’s text. I look forward to reading the thoughts of those of you studying James with me in the comments section. Don’t leave me hanging!

•In James 1:1-8 James seems to imply that there is a direct correlation between being in a trial and needing wisdom, and specifically wisdom from God (not from our friends, not from our family members, not from the latest business book, etc…). With this need for wisdom comes a guarantee we will receive it as long as we ask for it and we ask for it without doubting. It amazed me that this text clearly spelled out that if we ask and doubt we cannot expect to receive wisdom (v. 7). So, it seems to me that asking and doubting are a crazy combination because doing those two things in tandem is equivalent to telling God “no thanks” to His free gift of wisdom that we so desperately need.

•I appreciate that James was originally writing this letter to believers (Jews) who were scattered to live among non-believers. In context, James was speaking to people who have some similarities to you and me. In case you haven’t noticed, this world is not our home. Life among non-believers is hard. In California, where I live, gay marriage was recently legalized. My husband works in a secular career in which people aren’t always honest or moral in their business transactions. The fact that some of the issues James will address in this letter are a direct result of being believers in an unbelieving world gives me great comfort, because I know there is a lot I can stand to learn from this letter.

•I love that James simply introduces himself in this letter as a servant. He doesn’t acknowledge that he was the half-brother of Christ. There is no rank or status being pulled. James doesn’t try to give authority to his message based on who he is. Instead, his message (which is directly from God) has all the authority it needs and therefore he (the mere messenger) really needs no authority of his own. This concept is so revolutionary. It stands in such sharp contrast to how the Christian world operates today. Even in Christian publishing, editors want to know all about how big your platform is and how many people you reach on a regular basis before they are willing to offer you a contract. There is no longer an emphasis on truth and accuracy. Christians today (and not just Christians in publishing) have made the Christian life all about making Christ marketable. Instead of letting the power and the authority belong to God, they’ve opted instead for sales strategies that diminish Christ and make Him into a product we need to push onto everyone we meet. After studying James’ approach, woe to any of us who think the power should ever lie anywhere but with God.

•I also loved that James’ approach to take joy in trials clearly demonstrates that many trials are not God’s punishment for something we have done wrong, but are instead His way of maturing and growing us as believers. I’ve found this to be especially comforting in light of my current trial. So often, our tendency during a trial is to find what we’ve done to deserve such punishment and fix it, so we can be relieved from the pain and agony we’ve been enduring. But the command to take joy in the midst of trials stands in stark contrast to the approach of taking joy in being relieved from trials. So, every morning I’ve tried to rise and face my day (and my trial) with joy. I’ve tried to be an eager student who is ready to let “patience have its perfect work” in my life. It’s amazing how taking on this biblical perspective can make a seemingly unchanging circumstance just a little more bearable.

Anyway, this is becoming an extremely long blog post and I don’t want to steal the floor from the others who have been studying James with me. So, girls…let’s hear it. How has the Word of God challenged and encouraged you this past week?