Scripture: James 1:1
From James, a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. To the twelve tribes who are scattered outside the land of Israel. Greetings!
Thought for the Day: I have been reading some James lately, and so I thought I might offer some devotionals on this opening chapter. Now let’s be clear, the author gives his name as James, but outside of the name, we have no other specific information in regard to who this James might be. Some have suggested it was the brother of Jesus, but the Book of James was probably not written until somewhere between 90 – 110 AD which would have put it long after the death of James the brother of Jesus. Though questions of authorship might be interesting, it’s funny how the arguments over authorship have allowed for the challenging words of the book to be ignored. It doesn’t matter who James really was, but notice how he described himself as a slave of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is not just pretty poetry, but a description of faithful surrender to the ways of God revealed in Jesus. As a slave, the question is not what does Jesus give me, but what does Jesus demand of me. God is gracious and kind, but for those who have said YES to these gifts, there is an expectation.
Prayer: May my life this day, O Lord God, reflect the belief that I am a slave to your glorious ways of grace, mercy, justice and forgiveness. May the love I have received from you be the inspiration by which I surrender my ego and my personal needs to your high calling. This I request in the name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus. Amen.
THIS COMING SUNDAY
