Servant of God

As we commence the book of James, the first question many have is; who is this James, the writer of this letter? I have no answers for you. It is widely believed that this James is the brother of Jesus, but that idea can be contested. In all honesty I do not think it matters. I say this because it clearly was not of upmost importance to the James that wrote this letter. James writes this letter introducing himself as, 'a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ'. This is how he commends himself to his readers, so this is how he wishes to be known. Therefore we will take it that this James, whoever he was, was first and foremost a man that desired to serve and honour God with his life by understanding who Jesus really is whether or not he was the biological brother of Jesus. The first verse of James reads thus;

‘James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings.’ James 1:1

We may read this and think that this is really a humbling introduction James calling himself a servant, especially if he actually is Jesus' brother! Yet, in one way or another we are all servants. 

We can be servants of: our faith, work, desires or passions. It is, in fact, human nature to be a servant to something - we were created to be under authority but also to have it. It was God’s design right at the beginning when He created everything. We were designed to have authority by taking responsibility to look after God's creation under His supervision. So it should not be a shocking thing for us to realise that we are all servants, but what are you serving? 

Being a servant to something is about putting that thing first. Having it as the focus of your money, time, energy and talent. For James, he makes it clear that first and foremost, he is God’s servant. This is what he has put his time, energy, money and talents into. He has chosen to serve God and Jesus. This is what he is invested in. It effects his whole life, it influences where he lives, works, rests, spends his time and money and what he focuses his energy on. James is fully invested in the kingdom of God, and he is not ashamed of it. Considering himself a servant is no minor thing for James. It is a career choice, a job role he is satisfied with and has given his life for. 

If you think about it, James is in good company as a servant of God as; David, Moses, Peter and Paul are also identified as servants of God. These men are renowned for their faith-filled lives and were all quite different in their roles and responsibilities, but they still had the same title - servants of God. Even though these men were very different, they still sacrificed and invested into the same cause. They had the authority and recognition of those with responsibility and they all humbly served God. Yet by being subservient to God, they had great influence and authority as they led significant amounts of people by publicly putting God first. When we consider the lives of these men, David, Moses, Peter, Paul and James, all considered God’s servants, we can struggle to comprehend that such a subservient role can also one of great power and responsibility. We are unused to servants having such influence. However when someone decides to live their lives as a servant of God - look what can happen! An overlooked shepherd boy becomes a king, a runaway murderer becomes the leader of a nation, uneducated men become instigators of a new faith adventure that has influenced millions over thousands of years! Being a servant of God means that you recognise God's authority and put yourself in His hands to do His will. In return, He will lead you to be the man or woman of God you can be and will give you responsibility for some things. Who knows what you could achieve by being a fellow servant of God?

Do you want to have a life that impacts others like these men? Do you want a life that can inspire others for a lifetime? The feats of faith, knowledge, miracles and strength these servants of God experienced are engaging, exciting and admirable. You too can have a life like that - a life that makes a difference and looks different. When you are serving God, a servant life is adventurous and powerful.