“Evidence of our good intentions”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Friday, November 11, 2022
James 1:16-27 (Forward, p. 13) CEV p. 1273
The apostle James is great on giving advice. In fact, his entire letter (or epistle) is full of it. Today’s passage is no exception. Even a quick and cursory reading will reveal a series of do’s and don’ts. Among the list of don’ts we read:
-don’t get angry quickly
-don’t do anything immoral or evil
-don’t give vent to your speech, or to your desires
-don’t forget
And, among the do’s, the following:
-do be quick to listen to others
-do listen and pay attention to the message from God
-do obey God’s will
-do remember God’s injunctions
-do keep your lives pure and spotless
-do help out the poor and the needy
James’ whole point is that faith, that is, trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ, should issue forth into tangible, practical, observable action if it is indeed real. Faith without being evidenced in works, in our lives, is simply an illusion and not really faith at all. It isn’t as if those actions ‘save us’, or make us ‘acceptable’ to God, but it is the necessary evidence of that trust and dependence in God, evidence that we really have turned our lives over to Him. It is the irrefutable evidence that our good intentions, our intention to follow Jesus Christ is actually happening. And, thanks be to God, we are not on our own as we try to do this. We have Christ’s presence and the grace and power of the Holy Spirit to assist us. Amen.
Forward notes: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (verse 27).
“One thing that bothers me, especially when conversing with my fellow Christians or when listening to modern worship music, is the continual misuse of the term religion. So often we automatically associate the term with an insincerity of faith. But in truth, religion is merely the mechanism of faith. It’s the mode by which we express and walk out what we believe. In reality, we are all religious—and should gladly claim the word. Instead of disparaging the religious, we should recognize that the remedy for insincerity is intentionality. What we get out of faith and practice is ultimately what we put into it. We must strive to live deliberately.
“The recipe for pure religion offered in James leaves us no opportunity for insincerity. When we care for those in our lives who are in need, we do so on purpose, and we put our religion into action. It is the most deliberate, intentional, and sincere way to live a religious life.”
MOVING FORWARD: “Put your religion into action today.”