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A Devotional Journey through the Epistle of James

25 Sunday Oct 2026

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Day 13: Freedom under the Law

But you must never stop looking at the perfect law that sets you free.
God will bless you in everything you do,
if you listen and obey, and don’t just hear and forget.
(James 1:25, CEV)

Reflection

In my discussion of James 1:18, I stated that, “Jesus didn’t just proclaim the message of salvation. He is the message of salvation.” (See Day 10.)

In his Gospel, John verifies this perspective when he writes:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14, NIV)

The message—the gospel message—is personified in Jesus. It logically follows that when James commands us to “Obey God’s message!” he is also commanding us to “Obey Jesus!” Paul also reminds us of this truth when he writes, “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form.” (Colossians 2:9, NIV). So, it logically follows that obedience to the message is obedience to Christ.

 

As followers of Christ, how does Jesus view our relationship with him? In his own words Jesus answers this question in one of the last conversations he had with his disciples. (See John 14:15-21.)

Jesus begins this intimate discussion with these words, “If you love me, keep my commands.” (John 14:15, NIV).

There are two central truths about the Christian faith that are evident from this brief verse. First, Jesus expects—no requires that we love him. Love is both an emotion and a motivator. Love is not simply a feeling. Love is an emotion that puts us into motion. True love is not passive. It’s active.

This brings us to the second point. Love is demonstrative. Jesus demonstrated his love for us by suffering and dying for us on the cross. In turn, how do we demonstrate our love for Jesus? We show our love by keeping his commands. This means we need to know his commands.

And where do we find his commands? We find his commands in the message—the Scriptures—the living Word of God. When we love the Word, we are loving Jesus, and when we obey the Word we are obeying Jesus.

Let’s become genuine lovers of Jesus. (See Peter’s restoration, John 21:15-19, CEV.)

Response

Lord God, I want to obey your message. Lord Jesus, I love you. Thank you for first loving me. Help me to practically demonstrate my love for you through the way I live, through my words and deeds. I want to apply your Word to my life and so become a doer of the Word. I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen. 

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A Devotional Journey through the Epistle of James

04 Sunday Oct 2026

Posted by in James

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Day 10: A Message of New Birth

He wanted us to be his own special people,[a]
and so he sent the true message to give us new birth.  
(James 1:18, CEV)

Reflection

How does God feel about you? Does He consider you a waste of His time and effort? For that matter, does God think of you at all? Today’s reading from the Epistle of James answers these questions.

He wanted us to be his own special people,[a]and so he sent the true message to give us new birth. (James 1:18, CEV)

According to this verse, you are not an afterthought in the mind of the Creator. You are special and you are wanted. How special are you? According to the original Greek, you are “the first of his creatures.” In other words, we are of first importance. And how do we know this is true? 

We know this is true because of the second half of verse eighteen: and so he sent the true message to give us new birth.

So who is this true message? Notice I didn’t ask, “What is this true message?”

Jesus didn’t just proclaim the message of salvation. He is the message of salvation. In his gospel, John introduces us to Jesus our Messiah with these words:

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

And why did God send the true message? Again, we find the answer in this verse. The Father who created all the lights in the heavens (v. 17) sent the true message to give us new birth.

In his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus stated, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3, NIV).

Please note that you and I did not initiate our own birth. My birth was initiated by my father in consort with my mother. In the same way our heavenly Father initiated our spiritual rebirth by sending Jesus—the true message to give us new birth. Peter reassures us that this is so with these words: For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God (1 Peter 1:23, NIV). 

Therefore, along with Paul we can declare, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15, NIV).

Response

Heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the true message into my life. Jesus, I appreciate your grace and forgiveness. I am so grateful that I have been born again by your Holy Spirit. Father, I am your child. My spirit cries, “Abba, Father! You are my God.” Amen.

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