I've said it before and I'll say it again...the book of James is SO annoying (in a good way!) He says things that "get you" EVERY TIME!!!
In Chapter 5, James asks how you react to certain things, and then he describes how we should react in a God-honoring way. Will you take this test with me? Let's see how we do...
Situation ... Reaction
You're in trouble ... pray.
You are happy ... sing songs of praise.
You are sick ... call the elders to pray over you and give you medicine (in God's name.)
You have sinned ... confess it to another believer and pray for each other.
If I were honest, my list would probably look more like this...
Situation ... Reaction
You're in trouble ... tell some friends how miserable I am and hope they will help.
You are happy ... sing songs (at least I'm close on this one!)
You are sick ... call the doctor to check me out and give me medicine (generic brand.)
You have sinned ... maybe pray for myself; tell no one; hope everyone thinks I'm perfect.
How about you? Are your reactions based on your feelings or are they based on your faith in God? Do you react by protecting yourself or by projecting your problems to your Father?
Confession Time: Lately I feel like some of my reactions have not been because of faith, but out of feelings. I need to do better at giving things to God. Will you pray for me?! (I will be praying for you!)
2 comments:
You are so right. I, too often, also run to friends when I'm feeling bad or discouraged. Too often God is the final resort when He should be first. It is hard to tell others our sin; especially if we feel that they are "without sin". When we have a relationship with someone that allows total honesty then we realize "none of us is without sin".
Honestly I do pray some. I would say often, but I don't know what often means. But if I'm having a good/bad/neutral day I try to pray about it. Well actually I try to pray about it before the day begins.
As far as confessing sins I have four people I talk to on a regular basis. It is amazing how refreshing it can be when other Christians will listen to my issues without judging me. The more it happens [it = confessing my sins to other Christians] the more I feel comfortable talking to almost anyone about the issues I face. It is freeing.
I would say that I do have reactions based on feelings, but in some respects I think those feelings might be God-given. I'm not saying that God spoke to me, but I wonder if the feelings I have about a situation aren't there for a reason.
I also wonder if, by nature, we are all selfish creatures and that is why we attempt to shelter ourselves from the rest of humanity. I’m guilty of it on an almost daily basis. I make decisions sometimes based upon how I can benefit from a given situation. It’s not right and I do have faith that God will lead me in the right direction.
And sometimes it is so difficult to really see through all the issues and find the right answer. I wonder if we aren’t just supposed to go with our gut instincts during some situations that God hasn’t given us a clear answer on.
I’m rambling now, but thanks for a great post Franklin. BTW – James is one of my favorite books. Glad you posted about it!
Judy – I agree with your comments. But going to God first? I assume you mean pray and study the Bible, but it seems to me in my life that I’ve had situations arise, prayed and studied about the issue, and in the end no voice told me what to do, but I still had to make a decision. So I went with my gut. Well it was actually an educated risk, but it was still a risk nonetheless. And then I think that maybe talking to our friends is exactly what God wants us to do. Maybe we should go to our friends and ask their advice when we are dealing with a situation. I agree with you that we should go to God first I’m just not entirely clear on what that means.
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