Year 6, Day 126: James 4-5

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: Character

• Character: Having the interior life that is necessary to support the work that God sets before a person.  It is hearing from God and obeying.  It is doing the right thing when nobody is looking.

James concludes with a great discussion on character.  Of course, one might make a great argument that this whole book has been a book about character.  Taming the tongue is about character.  Living in godly wisdom is about character.  Showing partiality is a matter of character.  Putting faith into practice is a matter of character.  Responding to testing and persecution is a matter of character.

James begins by warning us to not live in worldliness.  When we pursue our worldly passion, we put ourselves at odds with one another.  When we pursue our worldly passion, we think more about ourselves than others.  When we pursue our worldly passions, we destroy community.  The question James is really asking us is whether or not we have the character to be about God’s community or to be about ourselves.

Then James warns us against the corruption of wealth.  The real question that we need to ask ourselves is if we have the character to store up treasure in heaven rather than here on earth.  Do we have the character to trust both our eternal future and our worldly future to the hands of God?

Then James talks about suffering.  Do we have the character to endure suffering?  Do we have the character to rejoice in suffering?  Do we have the character to be patient and wait for God in the midst of our suffering?

James truly knows how to elevate challenge when it comes to looking at character.  I think that is why James is such a controversial book.  Those people who love challenge and grow out of being challenged tend to love this book because they enjoy looking at their character and exposing their weaknesses.  But rest assured, when we read James we have plenty of opportunity to look at our character.

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