Packed with practical instruction, the book of James was written to Jewish Christians scattered and facing persecution in the early church. James has been called the Proverbs of the New Testament because of his emphasis on wisdom applied to so many subjects: faith and doubt, enduring temptation, not just hearing commands but obeying the Lord, visiting widows and orphans, showing no partiality to rich or poor, exhibiting living faith by good works, taming the tongue, repenting of ungodly desires, resisting pride, confessing sin, and calling the wayward back to Christ, to name a few. The Spirit always applies the word to the lives of Christians in every age, but we can readily identify the issues in this letter as our own.