Functional Faith | James 1:1-12
Did you make New Year’s resolutions? A recent YouGov study found that 58% of people 30 and under plan on making resolutions in 2025; while only 24% of those over 30 plan on making resolutions. It was 44% for those over 30 and 52% for those under 30 in 2023. Why the change? Perhaps, older you get the less ambitious and the more realistic (jaded) you become; by January 17, 78% of people fail in their resolutions. The top three resolutions regardless of age were saving money, getting healthier and being happier. In other words, in 2025 people want to be rich, healthy and happy. Who want to be poor, sick and miserable? But what happens when life does not go as you had planned or resolved it would go? Mike Tyson said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Life is full of punches. It’s not if you get punched but when and how you deal with it. Will you keep fighting or will you run away?
The book of James is the first book written in the New Testament. It was written by James, who was not one of the twelve disciples, but was one of the four half-brothers of Jesus. He probably knew Jesus more than anyone personally could have because they grew up together. Imagine growing up with Jesus as your brother; you couldn’t blame him for anything; he was perfect. James did not believe his brother was God until Jesus rose from the dead. But after the resurrection, James became very involved in the Christian movement in Jerusalem and became the lead pastor of the early church. His letter was written to Christians who were scattered around the Roman Empire who going through tough times. It contains practical advice for having functional faith in Jesus despite living a broken world. Genuine faith is shown through the everyday things we do in everyday life. There is not a person alive who hasn’t struggled with their faith in some way. James wants them to have faith that works and is functional for any contingency in life. We do not just need faith for eternity but faith for everyday life. He immediately gets to business and the first thing on his agenda is to teach us how functional faith responds to trials. James begins the book with a prayer for wisdom and ends the book with a prayer for healing. When trials come, we can joyfully trust God to give us what we need because He is good and is using them to make us more like Jesus.