James, the brother of Jesus, was the leader of the church in Jerusalem. When he refused to deny his faith in Jesus, he was thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple – more than 100 feet high. When he survived the fall, his enemies beat him with a club. Our hearts grieve as we think of the great suffering that took place shortly after James’ death. The early Church and those who called themselves Christians were persecuted, unjustly charged, imprisoned, tortured, and many put to death. The early Church witnessed, and no doubt many of them were killed, when Jerusalem was captured and destroyed.

We started out our study of James with the challenge to consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds. The weight of these words sits differently when we consider how harsh the persecution was during that time. We may go through difficult times, but it pales in comparison to what some of the writers of the New Testament letters went through. When we are going through a hard time in our lives, we are comforted by the words penned by men who suffered horrible deaths, all for the sake of Christ. Even now, many missionaries and pastors in other countries preach God’s word despite the threat of death. Why would they be willing to do for the gospel?

Even though I am a free man with no master, I have become a slave to all people to bring many to Christ…When I am with the weak, I share their weaknesses, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings. – 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22-23

How committed are we to the gospel, to winning souls for Christ? What are we willing to become in order to win the weak? This brings me to the closing thoughts of the book of James.

My dear brothers and sisters, if someone among you wanders away from the truth and is brought back, you can be sure that whoever brings the sinner back will save that person from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins. – James 5:19-20

Listen to these same two verses in The Message:
My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God’s truth, don’t write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God.

There is a sense of urgency in these verses. We were saved to serve God. How does He want to use us or what does He want to do through us today? Are we willing to open ourselves up to whatever He wants us to be for the sake of others or are we going to hold tight to this issue or that, to this right of ours or to this past hurt for which we refuse to forgive.

Dear Jesus, I am yours today. Use me however you wish. Guide my thoughts, stir my heart and fill my mouth with your words that I may be who or what you want me to be. May nothing in my life be a stumbling block to others but may I be a hand extended to those who are lost or in need of my friendship. Oh God, may we be thankful today for religious freedom and for those who have lost their lives to protect it. May we also stand strong in protecting this freedom for future generations. May we boldly proclaim your love to those around us and count it a joy when we face trials, knowing that the testing of our faith develops perseverance. Amen.