Remember³ - James

According to the Good News Bible, James concludes his letter with a weighty reminder. He writes,

“Remember this: whoever turns a sinner back from the wrong way will save that sinner’s soul from death and bring about the forgiveness of many sins.” (James 5:20)

That verse lingered in my mind longer than most. The word “REMEMBER” stood out. It made me wonder — what else did James ask his readers to remember?

A little search brought up two others. The first comes earlier in chapter 1:

“Remember this, my dear friends! Everyone must be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry.”

The second appears much later, in chapter 5:

“My friends, remember the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Take them as examples of patient endurance under suffering.”

So there we have it — three memories worth keeping alive. One points inward, the other backwards, and the last outward.

The first — “Remember this: be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger” — deals with self. It’s about the daily discipline of control, especially in an age where voices are loud and tempers short. Self-control is not silence; it is wisdom choosing its moments.

The second — “Remember the prophets” — looks backward and upward. It calls us to consider those who walked this road before us. People who held the faith when life bruised them, who kept speaking even when no one seemed to listen. They remind us that patience is not weakness; it’s strength stretched over time.

And the last — “Remember the one who turns a sinner back” — looks outward. It draws us toward the wandering, those slipping away quietly from the fellowship of faith. James says turning them back saves not just a soul, but brings forgiveness into the story — perhaps even healing to our own hearts in the process.

So the rhythm of remembrance is this:

Self — control it.

Saints — consider them.

Sinners — call them back.

Faith, then, is not just about what we believe, but what (and who) we remember.

“Siku hizi na dara pages za Bible before... No No... Haikuwa hivyo!” - Owino