[James 1:1-17]
James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion:
Greetings.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, and the rich in his humiliation, because like a flower of the grass he will pass away. For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So also will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.
Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God," for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
{Rev. Dwight Yoo}
Why does our treatment of the poor and powerless reveal the state of our faith?
It identifies those who have received mercy from God.
When we treat people with partiality, we treat things at face value. This occurs with those who have not received the gospel. Why is this? This is because when we have received mercy from God, it flattens our view of people. We see them as either saved or unsaved. We do not treat people differently between rich and poor, powerful and powerless, beautiful and ugly. We should see believers as co-heirs of the kingdom of heaven; brothers and sisters in the faith. Yet, even more than that, when we see the poor and destitute, we should be reminded of our own story. "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." - 2 Corinthians 8:9 The story of our salvation is one of God becoming poor so that we could become rich. Those who have been saved by God in this manner, will not treat the poor in this manner.
How you treat the poor reveals what you treasure.
If we treat the rich person better, it reveals that we want something from the rich person. We treat them better because we think they can do us a favor. If we scratch their back, they will scratch ours. But this is just selfish and worldly, not the way a Christian should act. We treat people well so that we can get what we want. It is not altruistic. It is not loving. How does this apply to us? We may not overly mistreat the poor, but we are busy... too busy to help the hurting and destitute. We ignore them. We may even give money to charities, but all we can think of is how the money has just disappeared. The money has given us no benefit. This also reveals our treasure as something in THIS world. It is still worldly treasure. We are not investing with a mind on eternity and the kingdom. Do not take this as a call to quit your job and join some organization to end poverty. Keep working. But remember that this is not just for you. Remember this money is to be used for the glory of God. Use it to further the kingdom of God and to alleviate the suffering in this world to His glory. "Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need." - Ephesians 4:28 We should earn money to share with those around us.
Reveals whether we are saved.
"So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment." - James 2:12-14
We usually think of how this passage tells us that we have salvation through Christ... that through the acts of Christ, we have mercy. But that is not how this should be viewed. Those who know Christ, ACT with mercy. Those who do not know Christ, ACT without mercy. So those who have no mercy... are destined for judgment. James is telling us that mercy is a test to see whether we have a genuine and living faith.
Application
Love the poor.
Whether this means supporting a poor child or donating to a charity. We should go and meet the needs of those who are poor and needy.
Help the deacons.
Serve with those who are charged with leading our church in meeting the physical needs of those around us.
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