The Holy Apostle and Brother of the Lord in the Flesh James
Read
Philippians 2:24-30; Luke 6:46-7:1
Today the Lord reminds us of something that we need to hear: proper faith requires a hearing and a doing. Confessing the Lord with our lips, but being far from Him with our heart and action—or worse yet denying Him with our deeds—leads to a weak, disunited life prone to the destructive torrents of the world. Understanding ourselves in proper relation to Christ can help us work past this.
The Lord speaks to us of his desire to be our friend, but today’s teaching reminds us that He is simultaneously our Lord. How can this be? Jesus is fully human just like us in every way, except sin, and therefore capable of being our friend. But He is fully Divine and therefore our Lord, Master and God. By keeping this balance we must always remember that since Jesus is first our Master we are his servants, so as good servants we ought to obey and live for our Lord: “You are my friends if you do what I command you. (John 15:14)” Our Lord is a benevolent and man-befriending God, so He promises personal blessing and strength to those who build their human identity on the strong foundation of His commandments. Those who stand firm on the Rock, who is Christ, even when pounded by the waters of persecution or temptation, will not be shaken.