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Daily Devotions

James

James 
Day 
Day 1

"James, a bondservant of God..."

Text: James 1:1

HOW DO WE SEE OURSELVES?

Each one of us has his own special way of seeing “self”. How we see ourselves will affect the way we portray ourselves. The world believes that one should be assertive in order to be heard.

HOW DID JAMES SEE HIMSELF?

It is interesting to look at how James presented himself. There are deep lessons to learn from him.

“James, a bondservant of God
and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
James 1:1

1. “James”

a) He was the half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ.
i) That was a privileged position.
ii) But James was silent about this.
b) He had a very high standing in the Church in Jerusalem.
i) The Apostle Paul called him an “apostle” (Galatians 1:19).
ii) Paul acknowledged that he was “the Lord’s brother” (Galatians 1:19).
iii) James, Cephas and John were acknowledged as “pillars” of the church (Galatians 2:9).
c) James introduced himself by his first name.

2. “A bondservant of God”

a) James demonstrated great humility here.
b) He saw himself simply and humbly as a “bondservant of God”.

3. “And of the Lord Jesus Christ”

a) There was a time when James did not acknowledge Jesus as “Lord” (John 7:5).
i) He and his siblings challenged Jesus to show Himself openly to the world (John 7:3-4).
ii) At that point of time he had not come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
b) He saw himself as a bondservant of the Lord Jesus Christ too.
i) This was a significant development in his faith and in his life.
ii) James did not seek to elevate himself in any way.
iii) He was simply “a bondservant”.

4. The focus of his life

a) God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
b) He was a bondservant who had committed himself to service.