Skip to main content

James 1:1

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations:
Greetings.
(NIV)
James, the earthly brother of Jesus, did not believe in Him (consider John 7:1-5). He was a skeptic all the way to the end of Christ's earthly ministry, I am sure, all the way to the cross.

Most believe that it was the resurrection that changed his mind, but regardless of what finally brought him to Christ, here he is now, attaching the title of Lord and Christ to his brother. Before I did into this chapter of the Bible, I don't want to skim over the significance of this initial statement. James the skeptic is not a fervent believer, and he writes one of the most practical books in the Bible.

Notice also that James only claims servanthood. The fact that he was Christ's earthly brother isn't even mentioned here. As James titles himself, he sees himself only as a servant to this great Lord.

How do you see yourself? Do you see yourself as servant? ... As simply a minister of the word?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Please add some additional commentary to this verse. Your input is greatly appreciated.

Popular posts from this blog

Jonah 2:10

And the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land. (NIV) Don't you just love fresh starts. They're not always fresh, but they are a start. The God that we serve is a God of fresh starts. My mind goes to the many times that Christ reached out his hand, pulling a lame man to his feet, and saying, "...now go and sin no more." Or the woman caught in adultery, "...neither do I condemn you, go and sin no more." Only a God of grace will allow a swallowed man to repent. Praise Him.
4 comments
Continue Reading »

Galatians 5:25

Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Wow, this is a really cool verse. Once again, there is a phrase in here that I have never noticed before. The part that says, "...let us keep in step..." It makes me think of a dance. The spirit leads, and I stay in step. When that happens, it is beautiful.
3 comments
Continue Reading »

Psalm 136:4

to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. (NIV) If this verse said, "to him who does great wonders..." it would still be a great verse. We could talk about all of the wonders that God does. Everything from the rings of Saturn and the Sombrero Galaxy to the forming of a child inside its mothers womb or even how electrons are spinning around the atoms and not flying off. We could talk about all of those things and marvel at His wonders. But get this, all of the great wonders are His! He doesn't just get credit for great wonders, He gets credit for all of them, because the verse says, "to him who alone does great wonders..." God has no counterpart. He has no arch-rival. There is none like Him, and He is the only one who is doing the wonderful stuff! He is the changer of hearts and lives. He is the redeemer. He is the savior. He is the God who hears and the God who sees. And the most wonderful of all, His love endures Forever!
3 comments
Continue Reading »