I know this isn't a very long passage, and maybe it doesn't seem to hold a whole lot of meaning. Why just four verses, you may be asking. James wrote a letter to the "twelve tribes" that is full of insight and wisdom even for us, some 2000 years later. In this short introduction to the letter we find out who the author is, to whom its written, the thing that prompted it to be written, and what the author hopes to accomplish through the letter.
I hope that prompted you to take a look down at the passage and scour it for all that information. The author and audience are pretty clear from the first verse, but what's the occasion for the letter? What prompted James to write it? Apparently the recipients of the letter were undergoing some pretty serious trials and persecution. James wrote to encourage them in this. He knows that if they are "mature and complete, not lacking in anything", they'll be able to endure through the trials.
If you work through the rest of the letter, you'll find some major attributes that James thinks it's important to have and develop to live an effective life.
James 1:1-4
1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.
2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Questions
1. Who wrote James?
2. To whom was it written?
3. What prompted it to be written?
4. What is the author hoping to achieve?
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