My current Bible devotion is in the book of James. James is the kind of book that you ought to read standing up. It contains a ringing call to action, a plea for vital Christianity and faith that demonstrates itself not in mere words, but in lifestyle. It is a very practical book, teaching that faith without works is dead (James 2:14-18). If James was leading an organization, and you were his employee, you would feel the heat of this leader. He would motivate you with words like “deeds, not words” and let’s put some shoe leather on our core values”. His book calls us to translate our faith into obedience.
James models a leadership style weary of sterile mission/vision statements framed on a wall. He cares nothing for the set of core values that the subcommittee wrote down last year if they are only words on paper that was promptly filed away. He is an activist who labels others as “self deceived” if they say they are committed to do something but never do it. This book is helpful for the leader who gets caught up in an idealistic vision and rarely gets to his to-do list.
James models leadership that errs on the side of pragmatism. He does not want anyone to miss “practicing what they preach”. Instead, he suggests many ways in which we can flesh out the mission of Jesus – from feeding and clothing the poor, to providing good seating at church services for the poor, to controlling your speech, to praying for the sick and those in need. James teaches us to have a passion and conviction about social justice.
In addition, James strongly advocates humility in the sight of God and encourages us to pray when we don’t know what to do next. Leaders are to humble themselves and let God exalt them in due time. James maintains a big-picture view of eternity while incarnating his beliefs in a pair of overalls. He calls us, as leaders, to be ready to pay the price. This is a great book for Bible study, I heartily recommend it!
Please comment below or email me directly at csonger@new-communitychurch.org
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