A Servant's Heart

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

It is speculated that the individual who wrote this book, James, is actually the half-brother of Jesus Christ. I find it interesting that James did not introduce himself as the brother of Jesus when starting this letter to the church. He introduced himself as a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. In some translations it replaces servant with the word slave.

This particular passage invokes a poignant message which is this: God is not interested in your title, who you know, where you grew up, or what your last name is. He does not care how much money you have, what societal status you possess, or how close you are to men of great influence. God cares about your heart. As James did, with his mere introduction, we can see that serving God is more important than any other association you can have. To God, your title and who you know are low on his list of priorities. God cares about your heart. Our journey to nourishing and sustaining a clean heart is the most important empass we will take.

It starts by losing yourself in the word of God. The Bible details that the word is God. If we claim to be servants of God, we must also be servants of his word. You can't have one without the other. When you devote yourself to being a servant of his word, you indeed develop a capacity to have a servant’s heart. God's word is defined by his love of us, and to serve God should be the extension of his love to others. A servant's heart is giving, compassionate, and chooses to show love above anything else. Instead of thinking of self, it guides the mind to ask the question, "What can I do for you?" People who have a heart of service honor before their reward. 

When we do not have a servant’s heart, we misrepresent the message of the very cross we dutifully celebrate in our Christian faith. The book of James suggests, true followers of Christ just don't profess it with their mouths, or hear it with their ears but they are doers of the word. Who are we as Christians to merely hear the word and profess the word but fail to apply it to our lives?

It takes humility to have a heart of service to God, your family, church, and to the world. But it is the heart of service that builds relationships and speaks to the soul of man. Hypocrisy never won anyone over. It is living with a heart of service that has led to the salvation of the entire world. It may seem like a lot but it’s really simple. The only requirement is that you have a willing heart and an open mind to his word. Start by reading a book of the Bible or one scripture, just make sure you start.

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