From Doubt to Devotion: How Our Trials Transform UsSample

During the summer between my junior and senior years of college, I took a trip that changed my life. I spent two months on the other side of the world, working among people groups where very few followed Jesus.

In that environment, prejudice stared us in the face. A man I was talking with literally turned his back when someone of another race approached us. He refused to acknowledge this person's existence, then turned back to me and continued our conversation mid-sentence as if nothing had happened. There were places we couldn't go because we and our friends would be in danger. Government officials followed us.

I came home with fresh eyes and a willingness to follow the Holy Spirit. My international trip changed my everyday life.

James understood this kind of transformation better than anyone.

When James introduces himself in his letter found in the New Testament, he has choices about how to identify himself. He could say "James, brother of Jesus" or "James, leader of the early church." Instead, he writes, "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ." (James 1:1 CSB)

That word "servant" is significant because it wasn't always true.

John 7:5 CSB tells us a blunt truth: "(For not even his brothers believed in him.)" When we first meet James in the Bible, he's not a servant of Jesus Christ—he doesn't even believe Jesus is the Christ. In Mark 3, we read that Jesus's family, including James, attempted to stage an intervention because they believed Jesus was out of his mind.

Think about that. What would it take for you to believe your brother was your Lord and Savior? James grew up with Jesus in the same house, shared the same parents, and studied under the same teachers. Then, Jesus starts preaching that he is one with God, performing miracles, and gathering followers. James's response? "You're crazy, and we need to stop you."

So, how did James go from thinking his brother needed psychiatric help to calling him “Lord?”

Paul gives us the answer in 1 Corinthians 15:7 CSB when he lists the resurrection appearances: "Then he appeared to James." James had an undeniable, life-changing encounter with his brother, who had died and come back to life. The resurrection convinced James that everything Jesus had said was true.

That's why James introduces himself as a "servant,” a Greek word that actually means "voluntary slave." This man, who once thought Jesus was delusional, chose to become a willing servant of the same brother he had tried to correct.

James embodies Oscar Wilde's famous words: "Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future." You have a past and you have a future, too.

Grace met James in his doubt and moved him to wholehearted commitment. That same grace is available to you today, no matter what your past looks like or what doubts you're carrying. If you’re battling doubts, struggling in adversity, or wondering how to survive your current trials, the wisdom of James can transform your life.

Tomorrow, we'll discover the surprising power God gives us during our most difficult moments.