This is a reflection on James 1:1 for our daily life.

I want to make sure you heard this past Sunday morning’s message before you read this blog.

Here is a summary of that message:

    James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.
    James 1:1

First we found that not everyone who calls Jesus Lord is willing to follow his teaching.  Many people follow Jesus for their own personal interest.  Being a Christian in this age is widely accepted; Christianity and the Bible instill good moral values that help society.

Examples:
Respect one another
Love one another
Be a peace maker
Love your family

But Christianity is more than that.  Christianity is a loving, two-way relationship with our creator.  Jesus uses the metaphor of a master and servant to demonstrate this loving relationship.  James calls himself a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Last week we said that a servant of Christ is someone who has accepted his master's rule voluntarily; this is an act of love. (Exodus 21:2-6).  The servant has responsibilities (we will talk about these Sunday) and the master has his too.

In the Old Testament the master was responsible for providing food, shelter, clothing, medical attention, job training, etc. for his servants and their families.  The master provided his servants with all the material things needed for daily life. 

The master also provided spiritual blessings we rarely talk about including “Peace” (Shalom).  This is the peace of God, which transcends all understanding (Philippians 4:7).  Every single one of us has this peace; we do not have to ask for it.

But If God’s peace is inside each of us why are there days or even months we do not feel it?  Distractions take us away from experiencing God’s peace.

Have you ever wished that a day had 34 hours instead of 24 or that a week had eight days instead of seven?  Who doesn’t love when a month has five weeks and you get an extra check? Oh yeah baby!  We want more time because we feel there is not enough to accomplish our daily goals.

My friend told my wife and I how she works 70 hours a week and gets paid less.  She checks her email (400 messages) and Blackberry regardless of work hours and travels to out-of-state conferences.  After returning from a conference her work expects her to complete all the tasks she missed while traveling.

When do we have time to think about “shalom”?

Let me tell you what happen to me last month.  Every morning while driving to work I turn on the radio and listen to the best preacher in LA.  That half hour blesses me because I learn biblical principals that help me through my day.

But last month I decided I did not want to listen to a preacher.  Don’t get me wrong; I love those guys on the radio.  Instead I listened to the news then to worship songs.

As I listened to the words in each song my heart was broken in pieces. I could not believe how beautiful the words of each song sounded.  It was like I had never heard those beautiful melodies.
I turn my stereo to the max, probably not a great witness for the people around me, but I experienced something priceless: “the presence of God”.

I was not full of joy for the whole day because as soon as I got to work issues of the day required my attention.  But I remembered throughout the day how beautiful that moment was.  I could not wait for the next day to experience the joy, the shalom, I felt in the presence of my Lord.