Day 3 – Read James 3

This is the reading for day 3. Here are the links for Day 1 and Day 2.

Today

James continues to help his readers understand what a living faith looks like. There are more commands in a more compressed space in James than any other book of the New Testament. There are 61 commands in 108 verses. James often comes across strong because of his “do this” kind of writing.

Some people would say that James is bossy! For this reason, reading James can be a little overwhelming. At the same time, we have to remember his own story. He rejected his half-brother Jesus while Jesus was alive. He considered his own brother suspect to say the least, maybe even crazy. Sure, Jesus was unlike any other person in his goodness. But, the son of God, the Messiah? James couldn’t believe it.

It wasn’t until after the resurrection, when Jesus appeared to James, that James finally understood. James gave his whole heart to Jesus. Not as his brother. He gave his heart to his Savior. He gave his life to his Lord. It’s quite likely that James had heard stories from Mary of Jesus’s miraculous birth. Maybe he didn’t believe the stories? He obviously didn’t. John the disciple tells us that all of his half-brothers rejected him (John 7:5) As Jesus was dying on the cross he gave Mary, his mother, into the care of one of his disciples, not one of his brothers (John 19: 25-27). His brothers were nowhere to be seen.

Paul tells us that Jesus appeared to James after the resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7). The change was immediate. The unbelieving James believed. Dead faith was raised to life. James’s chief concern became how to live out one’s faith in everyday life. Keep this in mind as you read this old letter, written by James.

Here’s a summary of chapter 3:

Out of the Mouth
Words are powerful. I used to hear the maxim, “Sticks and stone may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” It’s a lie. Words hurt! They break emotional bones. They cut to the heart. They cause incredible damage. James says, “the tongue is a fire.”

In recent years, Big Timber has seen several fires. In one of the last ones, tens of thousands of acres burned. 1,400 miles of fence line was destroyed. Some places are still recovering. James has this kind of destruction in mind when talking about the power of the tongue. He marvels that out of the same mouth can come worship and cursing (James 3:9-10).

We Need More Help Than We Know
What we don’t need is more earthly wisdom. There is a kind of wisdom that can only come from God. Apart from heart change, the kind of change that only God can do, sin is natural. James calls it earthly (James 3:15).

Wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits… (James 3:17).

Jesus is the wisdom of God in the flesh. Every one of the character traits that James lists are most fully realized in Jesus. No one is more pure, more peaceable, more gentle, more full of mercy and goodness than Jesus.

Application:

James gives us a lot of moral instruction. If we were to summarize his instruction in would be, “pursue Christlikeness.” That takes a change of heart. A change that only Jesus can do. If you haven’t put your faith in Christ, why not do it now? He makes dead people alive. He makes hard hearts soft (Romans 6:23; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 2:20).

1. Can you think of a time when something you said took on a life of its own and caused damage?
2. When was the last time you were hurt by the words of another and what did you do about it?
3. What would it look like to have the kind of “wisdom from above” that James talks about? How would it change you and your everyday life?

What would you say to God based on your reading today? Take some time to talk to God in prayer.

Consider writing down a key verse or verses from today on an index card or small piece of paper and carry it with you today. Look at it as often as you can as a reminder of what we learned today.

Possible Verses: James 3:10; James 3:13; James 3:16-18