By: Doug Beyer, Atherton Resident since 2011
James 1:1
“From James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ: Greetings to all God’s people scattered over the whole world.”
Questions for reflection and application:
- If James is the half-brother of Jesus, as most Bible students say, why does he identify himself as a “servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ?”
- What will I do today that will show that I am God’s servant?
Thought for today:
Jesus was the firstborn and James was the next younger sibling. Not much is told in scripture about their early family life, but can you imagine the difficulty of living with an older brother who has no faults? You might consider it a high privilege for a while, but eventually you would probably say to yourself, “I’ve enjoyed as much of this privilege as I can stand.” Consider this: in every misunderstanding and in every argument with your big brother, you would always come out wrong. Your mom and dad and all your friends would know your older brother is perfect and you’re not. That’s what it was like for James, the brother of Jesus. No doubt, James was often confronted with a choice: He could become bitter and jealous because of this unusual family dynamic; or he could learn lessons in humility every day.
Let’s not assume that choice was easy or automatic. But James evidently came to realize that his response in his family had to spring from his relationship with his God. In some ways each of us has been placed in a situation where we often face a similar choice. How will you live the Jesus-like / James-like life in your world today?
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