The word of the day is “parallel.”  In our reading of James 4:7-5:9, we find more gems of the “wisdom from above,” wisdom that is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (OSB James 3:17). Our passage is like a string of pearls. Each saying holds a perfect, complete, and thoughtful insight into living by and in the grace of God (James 4:6). However, we may have difficulty grasping the depth of wisdom in these pearls of divine truth because we are unfamiliar with their literary form. The teachings are not narratives, sermons, letters, or lectures. They are aphorisms or short, pithy sayings after the model of the…
The word of the day is “parallel.”  In our reading of James 4:7-5:9, we find more gems of the “wisdom from above,” a wisdom that is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (OSB James 3:17). Our passage is like a string of pearls, each one giving a perfect, complete, and thoughtful insight into living by and in the grace of God (James 4:6). However, we may have difficulty grasping the depth of wisdom in these nuggets of divine truth because we are unfamiliar with their literary form. The teachings are not narratives, sermons, letters, or lectures. They are aphorisms or short pithy sayings after the model of…
The word for today is “double-minded.” Most of us have times when our faith wavers, periods when we are unsteady in our life in Christ, moments when we walk with a limp. In our reading of James 4:7-5:9, James offers the wisdom of how we can regain an unwavering, steady, and unhindered faith. In 1:7, the apostle writes that one who doubts is double-minded, unstable in all his ways. Therefore, in our reading, the apostle writes, “purify your hearts, you double-minded (vs. 8). To be “double-minded” is to be of two contending minds.  Those who are double-minded have a divided opinion.  Yet, they are reluctant to give up either one. So, they vacillate between the two. In the middle between…
The word for today is “double-minded.” Most of us have times when our faith wavers, periods when we are unsteady in our life in Christ, moments when we walk with a limp.  In our reading of James 4:7-5:9, James offers the wisdom of how we can regain an unwavering, steady, and unhindered faith. In 1:7, the apostle writes that one who doubts is double-minded, unstable in all his ways. Therefore, in our reading, the apostle writes, “purify your hearts, you double-minded (vs. 8). To be “double-minded” is to be of two contending minds. Those who are double-minded have a divided opinion. Yet, they are reluctant to give up either one. So, they vacillate between the two.  In the middle between…