We Need Endurance to Pursue God

We have been focusing on the theme “Lead with Wisdom” in this devotional series. We began by reading and reflecting on Jesus’  Sermon on the Mount from Matthew 5-7. You can look back on those reflections on our website https://abcnebraska.com/news/.

James, much like his messianic brother, Jesus, sees the world differently from most of us. So much of their wisdom requires us to see and believe in their topsy-turvy understanding of how God is present in the world he loves so deeply. James particularly echoes Jesus’ teaching from the Sermon on the Mount. It is there that Jesus blessed the most vulnerable and overlooked people in his context. Jesus said, “You have heard it said…but I say…” six times. He gave a series of imperative directives about not worrying, how to pray, how to think about money and economics, and judgment. A tree can only produce the fruit it is designed to produce. Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount with “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock” (Matt. 7:24 NLT).

The opening chapter of James introduces themes that will be unpacked in greater detail later in the letter: testing and endurance, faithfulness, prayer, double-mindedness, wealth and poverty, speech ethics, and purity. James, like Jesus, is not afraid to enter our personal spaces. More than anything, James, like Jesus, cares about both our church communities and our individual lives. He refers to the scattered Messianic Jewish believers as “brothers and sisters.” All the “you” pronouns in this letter are plural, better understood as “Y’all.” This indicates that every word of correction, piece of advice, or call to pursue wisdom aims to correct and uplift the entire Church community, guiding everyone toward Jesus’ way. These concise wisdom statements move beyond personal piety into community holiness.

Eugene Peterson, in his Message introduction to James, puts it like this: “This is because Christian churches are not, as a rule, model communities of good behavior. They are, rather, places where human misbehavior is brought out into the open, faced, and dealt with…James works with great pastoral sensitivity, even when confronting, diagnosing, and addressing areas of misbelief and misbehavior that had arisen…”

James encourages his fellow Messianic Jewish Christians, saying that wisdom is the way through the trials and temptations they are facing. He does not say, “if you face trials,” but “whenever you face trials.” Trials are part of life. Especially when you are living in the ways of Jesus in places that are pursuing values, laws, and religious practices that run counter to the teachings of Jesus. James is asking them to honestly acknowledge the difficulties of following Jesus throughout the Roman Empire as Messianic Jewish Christians. He is encouraging them to look THROUGH the trials (whatever they may be James 1:2) with endurance toward spiritual maturity. Trials are not to be avoided but embraced as opportunities to grow in our faith to become more like Jesus.

Gaining the endurance needed to face trials depends on a wisdom that only God provides, generously and without hesitation. The rest of the letter will provide examples of the wisdom needed to remain faithful and grow to spiritual maturity. James provides practical wisdom gained from years in the company of Jesus, belief in his resurrection, and hope in the coming kingdom of God. James is so aligned with the ways and teachings of Jesus that he can apply them in his own words among the Messianic Jewish Christians in his care throughout the first-century Roman Empire.

Our goal in reading James together as American Baptists in Nebraska is to pursue the God who gives wisdom with ungrudging generosity. We are invited to read James slowly so we can pause over the words, hold them in our minds, and reflect upon them. We will offer a new devotion from James every two weeks for the rest of 2026. We will slowly pour over these words of wisdom. We will rest in the God who gives generously the wisdom we desperately need. Together, we will embrace the wisdom of Jesus and James as a community.

Lord,
May we pursue you with endurance, patience, and faithfulness. Show us your love, guidance, and provision in all places, times, and incidents. May we grow in our endurance as a disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ. AMEN.