Grading on a Curve

A Series on the book of James
Favoritism forbidden
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
James 2:1-13 

[James is one of my favorite books of the Bible. In some ways, it’s similar to Old Testament wisdom literature like Proverbs. It includes many practical applications to help a believer grow in their faith. In this series, we will look at the wisdom of James’ letter and how it applies to our lives.]

  

When I was in school, I was a decent student. I paid attention in class, did my homework and studied for exams. But if a teacher graded on a curve, it was common knowledge that you didn’t have to work as hard. Just harder than the other guy.

 

Grading on a curve encourages us to compare ourselves to others. It doesn’t push us to excellence; it doesn’t push us to perfection. Instead, it allows us to accept mediocrity. This is true, not just in the classroom, but also in life.

 

The Jewish Christians to whom James wrote his letter, had a problem with showing favoritism to rich people. What he wrote regarding this was a scathing indictment.

 

¹ My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?    NLT

 

In their defense, you can understand why it might have been a temptation. During the first century, the vast majority of people were extremely poor. Plus, keep in mind that these believers had scattered across the Mediterranean world to flee from persecution. As a result, they were living on the edge – barely surviving at times.

 

So, if they crossed paths with someone of means; someone who dressed well; someone who was wealthy – it would have been easy to rationalize why it was okay for them to manipulate that person for their own personal financial benefit. While at the same time, ignoring the needs of poor people.

 

But not for James. Sounding similar to one of the Beatitudes from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, he reminded them about how God views poor people.

 

⁵ Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?          NLT

 

Then he quoted the “royal law” from Leviticus – “Love your neighbor as yourself”. Following this he explained that by showing favoritism, the believers were sinning. They were breaking the “royal law”. And if you break one of God’s laws, you break all of them.

 

Grading on a curve in life makes it much easier. All we have to do is find someone who we’re just a little bit better than. For example, we can say, “I may have showed favoritism, but at least I didn’t murder anyone”.

 

In America, we live in a secular culture where there are no absolute truths. But God doesn’t grade on a curve. His Word is unchanging. It’s immutable. This would be bad news for us except for the fact that we have a loving and merciful God.

 

Paul, who before he was converted, was systematically persecuting the church with murder in his heart. After his conversion, he had this to say about the mercy of God.

 

¹⁶ But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.              NLT   1 Timothy 1

 

Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

Popping Pimples

A Series on the book of James
Listening and Doing
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
James 1:19-27 

[James is one of my favorite books of the Bible. In some ways, it’s similar to Old Testament wisdom literature like Proverbs. It includes many practical applications to help a believer grow in their faith. In this series, we will look at the wisdom of James’ letter and how it applies to our lives.]

  

I have something to confess. When I was a teenager, one of the biggest worries that preoccupied my thoughts was my complexion. Figuratively speaking, I would spend hours in front of the mirror looking for pimples. Once spotted, I would immediately go into action and pop that sucker.

 

James wrote his letter to the “twelve tribes” of Israel who had been scattered throughout the Roman Empire. For many, this dispersion occurred over the centuries. But following Stephen’s martyrdom in the first century, a “great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem”.

 

Because of this, all except for the apostles, were driven from their homes. These were Jewish believers whose lives had been turned upside down. They were not only living under the oppressive rule of Rome, but also the murderous persecution of Paul.

 

Under these difficult circumstances, James knew that there was a temptation to lash out in anger at others. But he also understood that this would only make matters worse.

 

Therefore, he gave them three simple steps to follow.

 

¹⁹ Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. ²⁰ Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires. ²¹ So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls. NLT

 

“Quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to get angry”. It sounds so simple, and yet it isn’t. Think about drivers who cut you off in traffic; or anger directed at your spouse; or irritation when you’re bombarded with telemarketing calls and texts.

 

However, James also advised them to “humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts”. Which also sounds simple, but isn’t. Because in the heat of the moment, we tend to forget God’s word quickly. Here’s what James said about this.

 

²² But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. ²³ For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. ²⁴ You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. ²⁵ But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.    NLT

 

Popping pimples was an obsession for me. I couldn’t just look in the mirror and walk away without doing something. That’s what James was saying. He instructed them, to “look carefully”, or as the NASB puts it “look intently”, into the perfect law.

 

But his emphasis is on doing, not just looking.

 

²² But prove yourselves doers of the word [actively and continually obeying God’s precepts], and not merely listeners [who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning], deluding yourselves [by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth].  AMP

 

We are to be doers of the Word, not just hearers. The goal is outward obedience and inward transformation; an authentic faith that proves itself in the crucible of life.

 

Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Pickleball

A Series on the book of James
Trials and Rewards
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
James 1:1-18 

[James is one of my favorite books of the Bible. In some ways, it’s similar to Old Testament wisdom literature like Proverbs. It includes many practical applications to help a believer grow in their faith. In this series, we will look at the wisdom of James’ letter and how it applies to our lives.]

When you play sports, your goal is to win. And if you win often enough, you might earn an award.

 

During high school and college, I loved to play sports. Even until I was in my forties, I played tennis. But I was only an average athlete, and certainly never won any awards. That is… until I started playing pickleball at the age of 74. I finally won an award! Such as it is.

 

James wrote his letter to Jewish Christians who were scattered across the Mediterranean world due to being persecuted for their faith. You can imagine how difficult their lives must have been. Essentially, they were turned upside down.

 

Not only were they persecuted for their faith, but they went to countries where there were different cultures, languages and religions. Most likely, they were poor, had no job or place to live, and only knew the people who had fled with them.

 

They were refugees who faced many challenging trials. Trials that would present them with very difficult choices. Sometimes, it could even be a matter of choosing between following their faith or rejecting it. Therefore, James wrote to them about trials.

 

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.      NIV

 

The Message puts it like this.

 

^2-4 Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work, so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.          MSG

 

In sports, the goal is to win. The more you practice and play, the better your skills are. Through repetition, you challenge yourself and push yourself to improve. In our faith-life, the goal is to become “mature and complete”. Our faith is challenged and strengthened by trials. That’s how we learn and grow.

 

Besides the benefit of becoming “mature and complete”, James held out another carrot for them. He told them that if they persevered through their trials, they could win an award – the “crown of life”.

 

¹² Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.            NIV

 

It’s fun to win an award – even if it’s a meaningless pickleball award. But winning the “crown of life” – that’s incomparably superior!

 

It’s time to compete for what truly matters. It’s time to go into spiritual training; to strengthen our faith through trials; to become mature and complete; to receive the crown of life.

 

Copyright 2026 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com

 

 

 

Bib Overalls

A Series on Advent
Christ hymn - Exalting Jesus’ humility and lordship by Paul
(Click on the link below to read the verses.)
Philippians 2:6-11 

[In Luke’s Gospel, there are four songs attributed to different individuals that were involved in the story of Christ’s birth. In this series, we will look at the meaning of those songs, how the person(s) or angels were involved in the birth story and what it means for us today.]

  

One of my best friends from high school wrote a letter to me following the death of my father in 1983. Here is an excerpt from his letter.

 

“I was so sorry to hear that your Dad had passed away. I’ll always have a special place of memories for him. Whenever I get the inflated image of myself and what I should be expected to do, I think of a Ph.D. in chemistry, in bib overalls, planting radishes on a little hillside. Your Dad continues to pull me back to reality. My remembrances are of a very Christian man whose family and friends were very blessed to have known him.”

 

Paul wrote to the Philippian believers, encouraging them to be humble in their relationships with others. He told them that they should have the same mindset as Christ Jesus.

 

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,
    being made in human likeness.
⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death—
        even death on a cross!           NIV

 

It's hard for us to imagine that the Son of God, humbled himself to become a man. We can’t really wrap our mind around that concept. In his gospel, John wrote about how Jesus, the Son of God, came to earth. He was Immanuel; “God with us”.

 

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. NIV    John 1

 

In The Message, Eugene Peterson put it like this.

 

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.     MSG

 

During this Christmas season, with all the craziness that goes along with it, I hope that you’re able to stop and take a breath. Think about the Son of God who loved you so much that he “became flesh and blood” for you. I don’t think he wore bib overalls, but he could have.

 

Copyright 2025 Joseph B Williams

Feel free to share this blog with others.

www.lifelinebasketball.blogspot.com