"James, a bondservent of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad: Greetings." James 1:1Hi, this Keith with Here I Stand Blog.For probably the next 15 posts I?ll be speaking on the book of James, taking it section by section and doing my best to search for what God is saying through these verses.Today I want to start with the first verse and give an overview of some facts that will hopefully be helpful to us as we study the rest of this book.This book was written by James the brother Jesus. We as Christians can learn a great deal from his godly example. Firstly, even though he was the flesh and blood brother of Jesus, he refers to himself as a “Bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ?. We would do well to remember that no matter how many good things we think we?re doing, and no matter how high the position we attain, it should always be done as a servant to God and the Son Jesus Christ. As John 5:23 says, “that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father?. For we can not truly honor the Father, unless we are in a good and right relationship with the Son first. Secondly he is writing to encourage fellow believers that are probably depressed and disheartened. Just imagine if Christians would follow James? example instead of discouraging each other with rumors, lies and insults. When you see a brother or sister in Christ that is depressed, do you try to encourage them? When you see a fellow Christian who seems lonely, do you talk to them and comfort them?We also need to remember that God allowed this persecution that forced these Christians to flee and be scattered. He allowed it in order to spread the Gospel to other parts of the world that desperately needed to hear the news of the only way to be saved from Hell.Leave a comment and let me know what you think and I?ll see you next time as I talk about gaining rewards through difficulties.