James 4: 3, 7-8a

“You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures.” vs. 3

It’s obvious that James was familiar with his readers, knew their complaints, and had plenty of advice about how they should change their ways. His letter gives us a glimpse of what life must have been like in the first century and we can surmise that their struggles were similar to our own. There was division among them, and a lot of complaints. James thought that they were overly concerned about pleasure, and that their prayers for more goods were entirely out of order. Now it’s unlikely that the desire for more stuff is central to our prayers, but we certainly do have a strong yearning for pleasure in our futures, and most are very attentive to the health of their retirement plans. James implies that there are many things more important than spending our energy on pleasurable living. Among those things he would likely include gentleness, humility, and peace, and of course, learning to share what we get in life with those who have gotten short-changed. The trick is learning the balance between caring for our own pleasures and caring for the needs of others. Far too often we’re much more likely to look to our own pleasures first, and then to the needs of others. And that certainly wouldn’t have gotten James’ stamp of approval.

Thought for the Day: What difference do James’ opinions make to me?