A Little More On the Book of James

I started last week, encouraging you with some Scripture from the book of James. I thought it might be helpful, before continuing on, to give you some more information about the book of James.

James is the first of a group of seven general letters, addressed to groups of Christians in different parts of the Greco-Roman world. The letter is not to one particular church.

The book of James starts like a letter, but it is more like an address, providing Christians practical guidance on how we are to live our everyday life. The letter includes various topics on: rich and poor, pride and humility, wisdom, patience, prayer, controlling our tongues (ouch) - and most importantly, faith and actions.

Make no mistake friend! Real faith will show in the way a Christian lives their life. In fact, it is suppose to affect how they think of themselves and how they regard and treat others.

In this letter, James is reminding his readers of the need for genuinely Christian standards and values in every area of our life.

With that, let me give you some more of the words of James:

James 1:19-27 (ESV)
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness that God requires. Therefore put alway all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Being a husband and a father is a challenging task. Being a son of God is too. Especially when you read words like this. Let's pray that God would help us to be purposeful in being quick to hear slow to speak and slow to anger, as we Father with and eternal perspective...