James Chapter Two verse 12-13

What did James know that will help us

My friend has suffered much in his life, oh he has had his fair share of blessings, don't misunderstand me, and he's no sad sack- in fact often he has chosen to be uplifting to those who are down.  But now he's facing something that he doesn't know how to deal with- he would love to commit revenge- and few of us would be interested in him being arrested for it.  We believe that the person who committed the injustice against him is a worthless character who has rejected all the good intentions of those who have tried to get him to see the truth about himself.  And my friend could, he could take revenge, he is a hunter, he has high powered rifles, he could take a shot from two blocks away and nobody would know who or how- so, he's in a bit of a quandary.  So are we, we have high powered rifles, we know who the sleaze bag is, but we're also in a bit of a quandary.  Into the scene steps a man who's brother brought things back to life, in fact, slowly over the period of his life, he watched his brother do it, many times- so when the man he loved, and he presumed his brother also loved, and in fact we know he did, died, it left James in a quandary as to why his brother - God, wouldn't raise him up.  Think that's a tough one, try his being there on the day his Brother, our Lord, shouts, "Lazarus," - and somebody we know as the tempter probably whispered in his ear, "Why wasn't it Joseph?" 

But we've grown now, we're older now, and we know that quandary isn't real, revenge belongs to God alone, and we don't understand why, and we will probably never fully get it, but on occasion, as here in verse 13, it all jumps right up in our face, and we realize, the blessing from mercy comes to the merciful.

12Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom,13because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

We focus on the wrong aspect of what we believe is worshiping God all the time, and not because we want to, it's not deliberate, rather it is subtle, very subtle, and respectfully, the Devil who wants you to buy that he doesn't exist, hasn't stopped working on that artful lying.  

Sometimes you just have to say something over again, and the nature of Satan is to suggest that such won't help with getting your message across.  Trust me to share with you, mercy, is far from my heart most days- and I love Jesus, so you have to ask, "How can that be?"  It is that I am human - a sinner, saved not by being exceptional, saved not by being a witness, saved not by anything, ANYTHING, that I would be able to say I did- saved only by God's grace.  Some very quickly add, that you must have faith- and I'd quickly insert that there is no additive to grace, once you've been saved, by grace, trust me, faith is not nearly the struggle it used to be.  Mercy, on the other hand, well, that's a tad bit more complicated, as we'll discuss in pursuant writings.  May God add his blessings to the reading of this.  Amen