As I write it is raining. Rain is so beautiful as it falls, so musical as it strikes the roof, and life giving, that is, as long as it arrives in a Goldilocks kind of way, not too much, not too little, but just right. Just a drizzle and the ground is only dampened, but a driving rain can wash away the little seeds leaving no crop and perhaps no topsoil so necessary for fertility.

When reading this section of James we are often captured by the instruction to ‘resist the devil’ yet the verse begins by reminding us first to submit ourselves to God.

The only way that you and I have a chance of resisting the temptations and attacks of the Evil One is through the strength that comes from God.

Our church is located in the heart of downtown where we are surrounded by business folks who spend a lot of time strategizing how to make a profit. It is a fair concern for that is their work. But, James reminds us that we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

Most people view this as a warning to be cautious for terrible things could happen tomorrow.

I have had the privilege of travelling around the world – literally! I’ve seen too much to not be sympathetic towards the oppressed and the poor. As a result I want to do all that I can to encourage a movement towards a wider distribution of the blessings most of us enjoy.

James calls us in a very direct manner to examine ourselves and our actions.

James now ends his book in theStory speaking to us about words. How do we speak to one another?

James emphasizes verse twelve saying “above all else” as he encourages us to speak simply using single syllables. “Yes” or “No” is all you need to say..” in order to remove us from compromising ourselves by hedging the truth.

God’s people are in exile and it was tempting for them, as it is for us, to measure God according to their circumstances. Israel despaired that God even knew their name, much less cared.

Almost reflexively they began to compare God with the gods of the nations around them that seemed to be more prosperous.

On the run from King Saul who was hell-bent on taking his life, David seeks shelter in the one place he doubts Saul would look, the Philistine city of Gath. He must have been out of his mind. Goliath, the giant champion of the Philistine army, had come from Gath! It was like jumping from the frying pan of Saul’s wrath into the fire of Philistine revenge.