The letter of James is concerned above all else with the life of faith, our struggle between our worldly desires and our struggle to live the life of a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ.

The struggle with living in the 21^st century is, we are inundated by a flood of exaggerated claims, through television, magazines and social media. The messages leap out at us. The products assure us that they are new, improved, fantastic and capable of changing our lives. For only a few pounds we can have whiter teeth, glamorous hair, tastier food, cars, perfume, diet drinks, and mouth wash that are guaranteed to bring happiness, friends, and a good life. 

James in his letter is concerned that his readers, fellow followers of Christ should make good, “Christ like”, Holy, wholesome choices, that we with the help of the Holy Spirit reflect Godly values and not cling on to the world and its values. Such choices are informed by wisdom, James ask’s “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” A virtue particularly prized in Scriptures but maybe less so today.

Have you ever known anyone who claims to be wise, but who acts foolishly? True wisdom can be measured by the depth of a person’s character, James points out that you can evaluate your wisdom by the way you act, foolishness can lead to disorder, but wisdom leads to peace and goodness, Are you tempted to escalate the conflict, pass on the gossip or fan the fire of a problem/discord, recently ,How do you or would you use social media, to criticize others or their beliefs, or pass on the gossip, it can quickly get out of hand .

Careful thoughtful words and actions with loving caring words are the seeds of peace as it says in Matthew 5, God loves a peace maker. But James goes on, not mincing his words, goes straight to the point whether inside or outside the Church. Bitter envy and selfish ambition are inspired by the devil. It is easy for us to be drawn into wrong desires by the pressures of society and even by well-meaning Christian’s. Maybe by listening to the advice of—Assert yourself, go for it, set high goals, we can be drawn into greed and destructive competitiveness. We may want to assist God with his plans for our lives. our churches, initially our desire is innocent, but I have learned that unchecked desire can become unwanted problems.

Jame’s gives us a stark reality check as he assures us that our conduct will one day reveal our character. He explains that those who are walking in jealousy and selfishness are being fuelled by the demonic and those walking in peace are led by wisdom that comes from heaven. Once again, we are presented with a choice as to which life we want to reap, disorder or unity.

An example is Saul and David in 1 Samuel 16 -31.
Saul is fuelled by insecurity, jealousy, and envy, which eventually takes away his kingship and his life. David on the other hand, was led by peace, unity and honour which gave him grace to respond with wisdom and wait on God’s timing. If you find yourself trying to arrange circumstances to open doors, bring “divine” appointments or make your voice heard, then it could be wise to really think about it and meditate on these verses and the letter of James until the Holy Spirit saturates you with peace that goes far beyond performance / what you expect.

The wisdom that James writes of is the gift of God, not the achievement of humanity. So, in choosing the way of true wisdom we are essentially choosing God’s way.