James 1:1-7
This book is written by Jesus’ brother! Half-brother to be exact. Think about THAT! Jesus’ half-brother is about to share stuff…wowsa!
It begins with “James a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Bond servant is “doulos” or slave. Willing slave. One who chooses to stay and serve under the authority of another. The mark was an awl being hammered through their ear to signify that they willingly choose to submit to another person’s authority.
Who are you a “doulos” to? Who is your “doulos?”
“To the twelve tribes scattered abroad.” This is the diaspora. The fragmenting of the original tribes of Israel to all over the world…literally…because they simply could not and would not willingly be submitted to God and His plan for their lives. Where have you and I veered off God’s plan for our lives? Look for warning signs like:
No peace
No agreement
No joy
No faith
No Hope
No love
Anytime you sense secrets it can be a sure sign that things are not as they should be…be careful!
James then tells us to, “count it all joy when you fall into various trials…”. Here is why:
The testing of our faith produces:
Patience
Which has a perfect work which is:
Complete lacking nothing!
We are to ask for wisdom and God will “give to all liberally without reproach and it will be given to him,”(you and me).
But you have to ask in faith “with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind…”
We can end up not receiving what we ask for because we really don’t trust God by faith and are in fact “a double minded man unstable in all his ways.”
So, today, let’s consider being open to the Lord. Let’s be real with Him and share our weaknesses and hurts and “failures” and fears. Then let’s quietly ask for wisdom and believe He will give us the measure of wisdom we need to move forward. We can all choose today to serve as a “doulos” unto the Lord, wherever we are and to whoever we are serving. But, remember God will use the peace of His Spirit and other clues to shout “out” or “safe” in your life as seasons change. Obey those promptings. If we obey we will be blessed as He carries us from faith to faith. If we don’t we can end up feeling like those in the diaspora and truly end up like the man James notes who is, unstable and double minded in “all his ways.”