Servant of God / Mrs Marlena Whitworth

Mrs Marlena Whitworth

Pastor's Wife

Faith Baptist Church

Plymouth, IN

James 1

“James, A servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.” – James 1:1

As we begin this study of the book of James, I feel the need to identify myself here, much as James did. “James, A servant of God…” I like that phrase. James was writing a letter to the church at Ephesus, and began the entire thing by identifying himself as just a servant. Today, I can say, I am a servant of God.

Not long ago, I called a friend asking for prayer. I was upset, hurt, and needing encouragement. She very boldly said to me, “You are a woman of God, and you are going to get through this!” To be honest, I was just a little startled. At the time I certainly wasn’t acting like I thought a “Woman of God” would act. Her words made me stop, and think. That is a terrible thing to do to someone in the middle of a pity party! I was looking for someone to commiserate with me, not call me out to be a better Christian than what I was acting like at the moment. Truth be told, at that moment, I didn’t want to be a “Woman of God.” I spent some time over the next couple of months thinking about what those words meant, exactly. Here are some of my thoughts:

1. A Woman of God should be a Servant of God. Far too often, I seem to forget that God is in control. I am to serve Him, The All-knowing, All-seeing, All-powerful, Mighty God! I was put here on this earth for a reason, and that is to please the Lord. Whatever He chooses for me, wherever He sends me, whatever the circumstances He brings across my path, I am still to serve the Lord.

2. A Woman of God should be a Servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. James said, “…A servant of God, AND of the Lord Jesus Christ…” This point is interesting to me because James was Jesus’ earthly brother. I have 2 brothers, and neither of them are the Messiah, believe me. But in all fairness, NEITHER AM I! James gives us a great reminder that to serve the Lord most is to serve those in our own family. Who sees our greatest sacrifices and usually experiences more of our neglect than those in our own homes? Our families are the ones who see what our Christianity is really worth. James identified as Jesus' servant knowing the truth of who He was here on earth. I believe he wanted to make it known that he believed Jesus was the Messiah; and who would have known the real truth of Jesus being God’s Son, than one with whom he lived here on earth? This phrase just reminds me that if I am to be a “Woman of God”, it must begin at home, with my family, serving the ones I love.

3. A Woman of God should be friendly to others. I like that James used the word, greeting. I know that if he had lived in our time, it may have read…Dear (Whoever this applies to)….but, he used the word “Greeting.” Doesn’t that sound much nicer? I sometimes struggle with being friendly to people that are just acquaintances. I feel like I’m bothering them, and they probably have better things to use their time for than chit chatting with me. I have worked on being friendly, and saying hello to many people. It is not a natural thing to me. I like to get there and do what

I’m doing. But I try to remember along the way, there are people who are hurting. There are people that need some encouragement. Maybe, they need someone to remind them that they are a Man/Woman/Servant of God. Perhaps if I say hello, and try to be a friend, I can challenge them to rise to a greater level of Christianity. Perhaps we can strive together to be a better “Servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ!”