Faith Journey

James 1:1-4

We begin the letter written by James, the brother of Jesus, but more importantly identified as a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ (James 1:1).  The recipients are to the Jewish people that are scattered around the world. If we were to chose a primary theme of this book it would be our Journey to Maturity.

The Story: James begins with the interesting word "consider", which translated from the Greek means "to take leadership", and in this case to take a personal leadership role in your attitude.  The recipients of this letter were under persecution for their new faith in Jesus Christ both from the Roman Government and Jews the rejected Christ.

The setting for your attitude leadership is in the midst of trials.  I'm not sure about you, but I don't find that an easy or natural thing to do - which is why we take our emotion captive.  James gives a reason for doing this and then the "so what" for doing this:

1. The reason is that these challenges will develop perseverance in the faith, a faith endurance that stands strong in the good times and bad.
2. The "so what" is the maturity of our faith (James 1:4).  A level of spiritual maturity that seeks nothing else for your ultimate joy than a close walk with Jesus Christ.

The Key Truth: The only solid source for the fullness of joy is a growing maturity in our personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Application: The maturity of our faith must become the priority in our lives. This requires a disciplined time that we spend with God through his Word and in prayer.  It requires taking the principles we discover and courageously applying them to our lives.

The Conversation: If you were to itemize the the things in your life that brings you the most satisfying joy, where would you put "growing in spiritual maturity"? Is it possible that you've become enamored with the things of the world and have begun to find your ultimate joy in what the world offers? Is it possible that you are content with the closeness of your relationship with Christ, and don't find a need to strengthen it?