James 1:1

This epistle of James will give you the greatest proof of genuine salvation.  There are a series of tests to see if our faith is working.

Verse 1:  James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings. 

James introduces himself & says, I am a servant [Strong's #1401.  δοῦλος dŏulŏs, doo´-los; from 1210; a slave (lit. or fig., invol. or vol.; frequently therefore in a qualified sense of subjection or subserviency):—bond (-man), servant.] which means I am one that is deprived of my personal freedom, I am fully an instrument in the hands of my Master.  Who is James' Master? God & The Lord [Strong's #2962.  κύριος kuriŏs, koo´-ree-os; from κῦρος kurŏs (supremacy); supreme in authority, i.e. (as noun) controller; by impl. Mr. (as a respectful title):—God, Lord, master, Sir.] 
Jesus [Strong's #2424.  Ἰησοῦς Iēsŏus, ee-ay-sooce´; of Heb. or. [3091]; Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Isr.:—Jesus.]
Christ [Strong's #5547.  Χριστός Christŏs, khris-tos´; from 5548; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:—Christ].
From this introduction we can infer that James showed absolute obedience, absolute humility & absolute loyalty to Jesus Christ.  He is claiming that Jesus and God are equal and deserve equal devotion.
--12 tribes scattered abroad is his audience.  Who were they?  They were Jewish Christians outside of Palestine.  The 1st formal scattering of the tribes was in 722 BC when Assyria took captive of Northern Israel. 
[Strong's #1290.  διασπορά diaspŏra, dee-as-por-ah´; from 1289; dispersion, i.e. (spec. and concr.) the (converted) Isr. resident in Gentile countries:—(which are) scattered (abroad).  Has the idea of a farmer taking seed and throwing it out...scattering.]
The period of time when this epistle was written seems to have taken place between the time Steven was martyred (AD 35) and AD 52. Great persecution of the Christians; Paul (Saul) leading the charge so to speak.  They were not taken in by families, they were homeless, robbed of their possessions, hauled into court, burned at the stake, & fed to lions. History tells us that when James wrote this book there were probably 4 million Jews scattered in the Roman world.  It was probably one particular group he was writing to although we don't know which one.
Why would a loving God do such a thing to his people? Why does He allow persecution? Acts 8:4 
Many times he allows persecution because He wants to accomplish a higher purpose that we are not able to see.  Sometimes that purpose is to sow the seed in the hearts of those that are lost.
--Greeting [Strong's #5463. χαίρω chairō, khah´ee-ro; a prim. verb; to be “cheer” ful, i.e. calmly happy or well-off; impers. espec. as salutation (on meeting or parting), be well:—farewell, be glad, God speed, greeting, hail, joy (-fully), rejoice.]
Remember who he is writing to & he is telling them to rejoice, be glad, be satisfied?  He is preparing his readers for the admonitions that will follow.

I was going to go all the way through to verse 4 today but I think this is long enough and food enough to chew on.  Join me again for verses 2-4!  Would love to hear your thoughts on this verse so far!