When I read the book of James, I sometimes feel as though a ping-pong player is slapping me on both sides of my face with his paddle. I say, “Ouch!” “Yikes!” “Wheew…” and I hang my head in shame. Yes, shame. I feel shame and contrition when the truth of God’s Word slices my soul. It hurts. It scalds. It heals. The heart’s reaction to the divine revelation of God is sometimes paradoxical in my own life. I feel conviction. I feel sorrow. I feel sadness over my sin—but I also feel hope, joy, peace, and forgiveness all at the same time. Only God, in His divine complexity, can allow me to experience these myriad feelings simultaneously. That is the power of the Word. It is living. It brings change when the Holy Spirit enlightens the soul of the reader. The reader will either be touched deeply and yield to truth or walk away unchanged. This is absolutely true when one reads the book of James. James is bold and declarative in his exposition. He does not mince words. He speaks boldly and decisively. Look with me at James 3:13-16.

•  13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct he should show his works done in the gentleness that wisdom brings. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfishness in your hearts, do not boast and tell lies against the truth.  15 Such wisdom does not come from above but is earthly, natural, demonic.  16 For where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is disorder and every evil practice.

We see here that a Christ-follower must exude good behavior in meekness. It is hard to give a succinct definition of “good behavior.” You know it when you see it; the same is true of its reverse. Regardless of the age in which you live, some things are just plain uncouth and are frowned upon by polite society. You cannot wallow in debauchery and declare that you have godly wisdom. Wisdom dictates our lifestyle. Indeed, a Christian must have a certain amount of wisdom in order for his verbal profession to be true. It is wisdom that allows you to live out your walk in humility, meekness, and faithfulness. The wisdom that James is referring to is the wisdom to produce good works in faithful humility. It is the wisdom that God gives to those who ask for it.

However, the antithesis to wisdom is “jealousy and selfishness.” One can also infer that envy and the like, would be present as well. James points out that if jealousy and selfishness is present in one’s life, there is also “disorder and every evil practice.” Doesn’t this just make you want to place your hand over your heart as you ask God to guard it most securely from evil deeds? When you read James’ exhortation, you are pulled out of slumber. It gets your attention.

I know of a church where there is much unrest. The pastor lords it over his small flock by promoting and demoting different ones at will. I was told that one young woman was stripped of her post because of a mistake she made. It did not involve sex, lying, stealing or anything that is blatantly willful. She just made an error for which she asked for forgiveness. However, this pastor told her that he does not believe her and refuses to speak with her at times. I was told that she said “hello” to him and he ignored her. This particular church has had many of its members leave over the years. There are frequent clashes between different people, and unrest is a constant there. I thought of this local congregation when I read this verse. Indeed, where there is jealousy, bickering, and name-calling there is much unrest, and Satan has secured a seating place there.

I am sure that there have been times when you have said, “I wish that were me!” I have said that from time to time as I’ve thumbed through magazines or read stories of people who have inherited good fortune. But, I do not dwell on those things. I do not muse on them. I do not spend hours wondering how I can walk in those shoes. That is where the danger lies. We must become satisfied with the lives we have. That is not to say that we must not work to improve our lives or attain what we desire (e.g., a nice house, nice things, etc.), but we must guard against wanting to abandon our life so that we can live another. If we are wise, we must recognize that the things we have, have been given by God and are blessings from His hand—and we must be very thankful. To set our hearts on what belongs to another person, is to say, “God, what You have given is not enough. I don’t want what You have given me. I want more.” And, if you take that thought process and pursue that path, you will surely destroy your life. You will invite chaos into your world and your heart will be in turmoil.

Too often, there is unrest among brothers and sisters, mothers and daughters, friends, co-workers, students and teachers, and the list goes on. Why? That is not to be if we, as Christians, live in wisdom. If you are jealous of someone, abandon it now! There is no need to want what that person has. You are not sure how she has obtained the coveted possession, and you may not be able to handle it, should you obtain it.

My friend recently offered her brightly colored connure to my husband and me. It was somewhat of a Christmas present. She had bought the bird for her son to enjoy, but then she found out she was allergic to it. After much thought and sadness, she begged us to take her feathered friend into our home. My husband, being an avid bird watcher/lover, was ecstatic. First, the bird is absolutely beautiful, and is also very playful and tame. Plus, he came with two cages furnished with the best of bird toys and treats. Who could ask for more…right! Wrong. After about a month, I began to complain. The bird made a lot of messes, bathes in its water, poops a lot, drops seeds outside of the cage, and gets an attitude if he is not petted regularly. Vacuuming has become a daily chore and washing the food bowls has lost its lure. All of a sudden, my little parakeets do not seem like a step-down from this parrot. I grew up with parrots, but my grandfather always took care of them, so all I had to do was admire them. I realized that when I had seen parrots in the pet shop and said, “I wish I could have one,” I had no idea what I was asking for. Now that I have one, I know that owning one and keeping my house clean at the same time, require more work than I had imagined. So it is with other things. Before you want what your girlfriend has or wish you could have the job your buddy has, thank God for what you have.

Things are not always as they appear. Don’t make a habit of wishing for things arbitrarily. Pray and ask God to furnish you with what He wants you to have. Work hard to attain your heart’s desires, but make sure those desires are pure, and don’t sell your soul just to have things. For where there is jealousy, there is also selfishness, envy, unrest, and disorder. Thank God for what He has given to you and enjoy where you are.

What’s in a name? Do names really matter today? They did in Bible times. People were very careful about the names they gave their children. They chose names that would fit the character of their son or daughter. Sometimes names are prophetic. Isaiah’s son’s name, Maher-shalal-hash-baz (“swift is the booty, speedy is the prey”), was prophetic for Assyria’s conquest of Damascus and Samaria.  With that in mind, I cannot help but wonder why Jezebel’s parents gave her that name. Jezebel means “Baal exists” in Syro-Phoeneican, but “no nobility” in Hebrew. It has a sordid ring to my North American ear. It is because Jezebel was an evil woman who wanted to kill Elijah, the prophet of God.

God’s people have access to His name. If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior, you can call on His name at any time—regardless of your name. Your name may have been stained in past controversy. Misrepresented. Trampled upon falsely or rightfully so. It does not matter what images your name conjures up when it is mentioned, you can call on the name of Jesus and His name—alone—is what makes the difference in your life.

It is a name that, when mentioned, brings joy to some and offense to others. Be that as it may, Christians revere the holy name of Jesus, because it is only through Christ that we have been redeemed from sin. From time to time, however, I think we fail to tap into the power that lies within the person of Jesus. The name of Jesus is powerful! Philippians 2:10-11 tells us that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

It is a new year, and as we pray to God, we know that Jesus is ever making intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). Therefore, we have the ability to ascertain the power of God. When we call on the name of Jesus we are able to live above reproach. We have the power to refrain from speaking unkind words. We have the power to speak the truth at all times. We have the power to live in close communion with Jesus. We are able to put God first. We have the power to pray. The power to resist the Devil. The power to give sacrificially. The power to delay personal gratification. The power to trust God’s sovereignty when you do not understand His plan.  The power to hold back when lashing out is more than reasonable. The power to wait. The power to be gracious. The power to be kind. The power to step out in faithful obedience when things are uncertain. The power to cast aside things that cause you to sin. The power to forgive those who have hurt you. The power to accept God’s will regardless of what it is. The power to prosper by taking one day at a time. The power to look beyond the natural. The power to surmount fear. The power to rise above failure. The power to stand strong in the face of opposition. The power to follow well. The power to serve. The power to say “No.” The power to answer God’s call. The power to live a purposeful life. The power to be productive. The power to call on God before seeking human help. The power to have vision. The power to go deeper into the study of God’s Word. The power to fast. The power to be transparent. The power to be bold. The power to be meek. The power to have passion. The power to live in a meaningful way. The power to see through deception. The power to recognize truth. The power to desire God’s heart. The power to anticipate Christ’s return. The power to hold all God’s blessings loosely. The power to persevere. And, the power to leave this world joyfully when God calls you home.

These are only a few of the advantages of reclaiming the name of Jesus. How do you do this? By getting up each morning with the conscious awareness that Christ is your Lord, and you are His child. You commune with him honestly. Read His Word faithfully. Listen to His voice keenly. Wait for Him patiently. Serve His people joyfully. When you do these things, you are actively reclaiming the powerful name of Jesus, a name for which every knee will one day bow. A name for which you and I must be ready to lay down our lives.