James 1 through 5

James 1
There are three James in New Testament that were leaders in the church. James, the brother of John was a member of the 1st Presidency and was stoned by the Sanhedrin around 44 A.D. Another apostle named James is sometimes referred to as James the less. And the third James, who wrote this epistle, was the oldest of the brothers of Jesus. He was not a believer of Christ when the Savior was alive and even taunted him. But when the Savior appeared to James following his resurrection, he converted and Paul later calls him one of the pillars of the church. This epistle is one of the general epistles of the Bible because is is meant for all of the church, not just specific members in a specific city like Paul's letters were.

Verse 5 has to be one of the most important verses in scripture. Certainly those that make promises of the Savior and his atonement are of utmost importance, but I can think of no other verse that has had a greater affect on the salvation of man than this one. Because of the chain of events started by this one verse, millions and billions of people can now have a correct understanding of the nature of God and their relationship to him, they can receive the saving ordinances and the promises of exaltation, and they can have a correct understanding of the atonement and the great blessings associated with it.

Other verses I think important are verses 9-11 that tell us that riches and position will pass away just like grass withers in the summer sun. In an old movie, one man says, "You have sought for glory all of your life, the only thing important to me is money." To which the other man replied, "The difference is, my glory will continue with me." Verses 12-14 that tell us if we resist temptation, we are blessed and we will receive a crown of glory. God does not and will not tempt us with evil. Satan and evil aspects of the world will, but God will not. He tries us, but he doesn't tempt us. Verse 22 should be known by everyone in the church. It is not enough to hear and know, but we must act on what we believe and know to be true. Verse 28 reminds us that pure religion is to keep ourselves clean and care for those around us, especially the orphans and widows.

James 2
This chapter clearly shows that to profess Christ is not enough. Belief must be partnered with works if a person is to be saved and exalted. Faith without works is dead. Faith is made perfect through works. Our works not only exemplify our faith, but they justify us in the presence of the Lord. You can not have faith without works.

James 3
Chapter 3 is all about controlling our tongues and living a life of integrity. James uses examples that would have been meaningful to the people of his day. A great forest fire can be started by the smallest spark and an uncontrollable series of events can be started by the smallest amount of words. With integrity, he says we cannot say one thing and live another. A spring doesn't put forth sweet and bitter waters at the same time. It is what it is. And what we say, does not change who we are. Someone once said there are two kinds of sinners in the church: those who repent and then speak, and those who speak but never repent.

James 4
At some point, we learn that we have to choose between the world's way and God's way. James teaches that to be a friend of the world, especially the evil aspects of the world, is to be an enemy to God. He promises us that if we resist Satan, he will flee from us. On the other hand, if we draw close to God, he will draw close to us. As James points out, life is like a vapor of steam in the air. It appears and then it's vanishes quickly. So it is with the ways of the world. What we think is important one day is soon forgotten and when we leave this life, it will be meaningless. The question is, what are we becoming in the meantime? If we following those things that are meaningful and lasting, the unimportant things will not influence us to the point that our lives become misdirected and unfulfilled. So James teaches that "to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. But, if we know the good and do it, we'll be richly blessed.

James 5
Two things stand out among others to me as I read this chapter. One is: "The effectual fervant prayer of a righteous man availeth much." How often I take my prayers too lightly and fail to realize how powerful an influence they can be for good. There is something about the power of prayer that we do not understand. I don't really know how electricity does what it does. But I know we can harness its power for our own blessing. I'm not sure how prayer works, but I know it does and too often I fail to harness its power which is far greater than something like electricity.