The book of James is not subtle -- it comes straight at us, giving us little room to duck. We can choose to ignore these words if we like, but we do so with a full understanding of what we're being asked and told. I'll freely confess that I can make idols out of my plans -- I tend to think that I know what is best, which leads me to being upset at God when my plans don't materialize. If God is leading me in a different direction, then surely God doesn't fully understand how great my plans are! And I'll be honest... my plans don't always revolve around selfless love of others, around service, around gratitude. They often involve around building my own kingdom!
So James confronts us and gives us time and space to think about these things. May we be honest about our failures, rely on the grace of God, and rejoice that God covers our failures with love and makes a path forward through death itself into life eternal.
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