You didn't think I would stay in James this long did you? It's such a short book in the Bible but it is oh so great and full of things for us to think about in our daily lives. I've been thinking a lot lately. Actually I have been thinking way too much so I'm diving back in and searching for truth. I don't want to find my answers in man, I want GOD to reveal things to me. I don't want to feel confused. I don't want to swing from one side to the other. I MUST be myself! I must be TRUE to the woman God created me to be. Every single time I venture off from that, I get lost. So I press on and keep running the race! That's my only choice! :)
Sorry for the derail of blogs! Here we go with James chapter 4! Finally!
James 4 (NIV)
1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?[a] 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."[b]
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
11 Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
Boasting About Tomorrow
13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
Now when I read this passage of scripture, well, I struggle. I don't struggle because I don't believe it. I believe it . I believe God's Word is perfect. That's not my issue. I struggle at this very moment because I think about the last blog post and I go back to that place inside of me where I am truly grieved by the things going on in this world. I am sad about our country and I am sad about Obama being our President and I am sad that me even saying that makes it look like to the other side that I am churchy and not able to reach lost people or that I am judgemental or legalistic. And then I go back to that place where I do want to reach all kinds of people because I TRULY love Jesus and He has TRULY saved my life and brought me out of so much hell that I will never quit talking about Him and His Word.
I don't think I am even making sense. :) But I think out loud on this blog and as you know I go back and forth until I work it out. Right now it's just not worked out. I'm going to go take a bath and pray for some clarity.
Feeling great though because I know God is doing some really cool stuff in my marriage and in Jeremy! If He is doing cool stuff in Jeremy, I get blessed too! Our family is about to start a new chapter and I am soooooooooooooooooo excited about it!
God is faithful to complete in us all that He started! LOVE THAT! I'm glad He has called me to be ME and no one else.
5 comments:
Love that you are willing to share your thoughts as you are "thinking out loud"... I'm the same, it helps me to write as I am processing things, and they seem to make more sense to me that way.
Something I notice you refer to, and I often think about, is a desire to not appear "too churchy" to others, while maintaining integrity to your beliefs. Personally, I have reached the point that I decided to be who I am, at that moment,and let the Holy Spirit manage the other persons perceptions. It is too big for me to even think about. I have to let go of trying to control others perception of me, and just be who I am. That may not always be the same, as we are changing if we are growing, but I can't worry about other people being offended because I say Praise the Lord, or making them feel judged if I say I didn't vote for Obama.
I'm not saying to be judgemenatl or argumentative, but if I am always worried about stepping on non-Christian toes, then I am verly likely stepping on the toes of the One Who saved me. Does that make sense? Not sure I'm articulating my thoughts...it is something I am working on, as well. Feeling a lot of the same thoughts as you regarding church and Christians, and not sure where I really should be.
Kelly, I LOVE that. Everything you said is exactly where my thoughts have been since I took a bath at midnight.
And here's the deal, GOD'S WORD can be offensive to those who are not willing to live by it.
I thank you for this because it really made me think and I will probably be thinking about it all day. :)
love you my friend!
I haven't left any comments for several days - I wanted to see what God was leading you to write from one day to the other as well as what others were thinking. I have to agree with Kelly 100%. Regardless of what others think of us we have to stand for what we believe and be who God has called us to be without being worried about how others perception of us may be. Some times the truth offends and the truth makes us free!
Yes but you have to understand that not everyone feels the way you do and not everyone knows Jesus and inviting them to church is not the only way you show them. I am talking about a mindset. We also can't have the attitude of "Well, I'm going to be who I am and not worry about anyone else." That works but you have to be willing to yield to others and where they are at. Many Christians do not have that mindset. They point out sin when they have ALL kinds of sin in their own life.
and most of you won't like this but what others PERCIEVE about us will sometimes push them away. I don't think I have done that all out. I think I am pretty balanced and I know how to reach different people BUT there are parts of my own mindset that I feel challenged on.
If Jesus were here walking the earth today, i truly beleive that he would be creative with how he reached out to others. he would hang out with the sinners and yes i'm sure there would be a time where he would talk to them about their ways and ask them to turn away from it. but he would LOVE first and often when you LOVE first, you don't have to point out anything else. that's the holy spirit's job!
a lot of you could get your bible and stand firm on what you believe and how you feel you are RIGHT. i think I could do that. i also think that there are those who could use their bibles to show us that my mindset is wrong.
both sides can make scripture work for them. and that is what is upsetting.
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