Parents and Students,
Greetings to everyone! Welcome to the James
edition of our 10:31 Devotionals! I truly hope that it will be an
encouragement to your daily walk with God. Some of you might be new to
this, so let me explain. This series is a way for us to walk through a
book of the Bible together as a youth group family. As Christians, we
need to see God’s Word as a necessary part of our life, not just an add-on to
our busy day. It must be something we hunger for, instead of merely an item
on our spiritual checklist.
So, my challenge to you and myself is to take a
journey through the book of James together. My desire in all of this is
to get us to go beyond just reading Scripture by spending quality time
meditating on the Word and then seeking to apply it to our lives in obedience
to Christ.
Here is how it’s going to work. I will be
sending these out to all of you Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with the
Scripture reading for the day, some questions to answer, and some thoughts to
mediate on that will hopefully cause us to dig into the Scriptures. I
encourage you to begin each time in prayer, asking God to open your eyes and
mind to what He has to teach you through His Word and to supply you with the
courage and grace to live out the truth. I do also encourage that you
keep a journal of what God is teaching you and what you are learning.
Your journal will be an INCREDIBLE resource for you as you will be able to see
in days to come how God has been leading you and growing you in His grace.
Also, please feel free to e-mail me and let me know what you are learning or
any questions you might have so we can encourage one other in this study.
I truly hope that you will come to treasure the Word of God and learn to find
your ultimate joy in Him.
As you read today's passage, look for these
words or phrases: James, bond-servant, and dispersed.
Passage for the day: James 1:1 (NASB)
1 James, a
bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes
who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.
Questions for thought: Take a few
moments to answer these questions before you go on to the next section.
Which James of the Bible wrote this letter and
when was it written?
Who was this letter written to? Why do you
think that these people were scattered (Hint: Acts 8:1-4; Acts 11:19).
James could have opened this letter with any kind
of greeting, but he chose to identify himself as a “bond-servant” or
slave. What comes to your mind when you think of a slave?
Do you see yourself as a servant of God like
James? Why or why not?
Meditate on this:
The James of this letter is none other than the
half-brother of Jesus Christ, and it is the first book of the New Testament
(written between A.D. 44-49). These are God’s first words to the New
Testament church. He is writing this letter to those Jewish Christians
who had gotten out of town due to the intense persecution. He is not
writing to people who were sipping lemonade in a hammock somewhere. Many
of them were facing loss of employment, loss of family support, and even the
loss of their very lives! These were people who were going through
incredible pressure. If you find yourself going through a similar
situation or difficulty, take heart! This letter was written for you!
James begins by identifying himself as a servant
or slave. In our day and age, slavery is not a positive thing, but James
sees it as the very essence of who he is. He was a slave of God!
Only, this kind of slavery is the ultimate freedom. We are given new life
in Christ so that we may gladly and eagerly serve the God who redeemed
us. It is the picture of the slave that is loved and given his freedom,
but willingly gives himself back to a lifetime of serving the one who purchased
his freedom.
When I read this passage for the first time, I
saw this idea of being a bond-servant as something to dread or fear, and not
something to take pleasure and comfort in. Service to God is not a
brutal, overbearing, inflicted slavery. Instead, it is a privilege and
something that we were created to do. We have been bought with the blood
of Christ and have been adopted into God’s family. We are now freed to
serve God and bring glory to His name!
In all of this, let us be careful to not think of
this service as paying God back for what He has done for us. In fact,
every time we serve God, it does just the opposite of paying Him back. It
puts us ever deeper in debt to His grace that He so freely gives us. We
can never repay God – and He does not need us to pay Him back! God is not
looking for our assistance; instead, He desires our devotion. So, what is
our motive then? God commands us to obey Him, not out of duty to pay back
a debt, but by giving us everything we need to bring glory to Him and by giving
us divine rewards in Heaven. Human energy alone could never accomplish
the work of God, yet God has chosen to accomplish His work by working through
us! What a privilege to be called God's servant!
Praying for that you would Love Christ
PASSIONATELY, Know Christ DEEPLY, and Enjoy Christ FULLY!!!
Pastor Stephen
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