James 1:1

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

One of my pet peeves when I call a business is an employee who fails to identify themselves when answering the phone. I know everyone who works in our golf pro shop, but none of them identify themselves when answering the phone. My fragile brain has to go to an extra gear when calling to first figure out with whom I am talking.

We Christians should be proud of our identity. We are children of the King and servants of our Savior Jesus Christ. James identified himself as both a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ before he wrote anything else. It may seem simplistic, but when we identify ourselves people know with whom they are talking. Just as when a business answers the phone, our first impression as a Christian is an important one.

Some find it peculiar for believers to refer to other believers as “brother” or “sister”, but that is their appropriate title. We are heirs and joint heirs to an eternal inheritance together. We have a common familial identity. One day we all will be redeemed as such and live together with our Heavenly Father. Until then, we are a family of believers here on Earth who have a common passion and purpose to serve our Savior and lead others into the fold.

Be proud of your identity as not only a child of the King, but also your testimony and road to salvation. Our testimony is part of our identity and gives validation to others of the transformation through Jesus Christ. Our identities are important and we should always be proud to be a “servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.”