Today's Worship: James found his reasons to serve Jesus Christ.

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him in James 1:1,

 

"James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings."

 

James, who grew up with his older brother, Jesus, in the same household, and who, as one of his brothers, ridiculed Jesus prior to his attending the Feast of Tabernacles, John 7:1-9, now calls himself a servant of God and of this brother of his whom he had treated with contempt, our Lord Jesus Christ! The One whom he previously ridiculed is now the one he calls Lord, and to whom he serves as a servant! What a change!

 

What was it that James saw in his older brother whom he would now embrace as his Lord? Just what was it that James found worthy in his older brother, that although he once held him in contempt, he now bows to as his master? Perhaps what James saw might be helpful to the rest of us to hold Jesus Christ in the rightful place he should have in our lives.

 

Certainly, the resurrection of his brother must have had a tremendous impact on James. It clearly identified his brother as someone like no other. Someone connected to God and squarely in the middle of God's purposes and agenda.

 

How can you not serve someone like that?

 

In that James grew up in the same home with Jesus Christ, he knew of all of Jesus' lifestyle, his habits, proclivities, behaviors and mannerisms. Anything to be personally known of Jesus Christ must have been known by James. James beheld perfection right in his very home. This may have been what generated the earlier contempt of Jesus' brothers for him. His matchless perfections must have left the rest of the boys in the home look wanting by comparison. Having beheld this perfection of character and nature within his brother as he was growing up must have had an impact on James.

 

How can you not serve someone like that?

 

It is difficult for me to contemplate how James might have felt, seeing his brother dragged before the various Jewish and Roman rulers, endure a kangaroo court, suffer and die a horrible death. But as he learned that this was Jesus' intent, that in fact this brother of his existed from before time began as a member of the triune God, and came purposefully to die on the behalf of all, taking the punishment of sins for the whole world on himself, must have had a tremendous impact on him. The mercy, love and kindness expressed by his brother must have moved James.

 

How can you not serve someone like that?

 

As James witnessed the birth of this new entity, the church, and saw how the Holy Spirit now indwelt it and caused this fledgling infant to become a powerhouse to be reckoned with in the world, this new expression of the agenda of his brother, Jesus Christ, must have had an impact on James. All that Jesus sought to do was accomplished and was now advancing upon the world. The Holy Spirit his brother promised had now arrived and was working miracles within the midst of the followers of his brother.

 

How can you not serve someone like that?

 

Much could be said here. An endless list could document many of the possible reasons why James found himself serving his older brother as a servant. What would you add to the list as reasons why we all should find ourselves serving Jesus Christ as his servants?

 

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share your thoughts of worship with us from your Bible reading today. We'd love to hear from you!

Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com