The Book of Jamesናሙና

Today's Devotional:

Can you remember the moment God became real to you? Ironically, my faith was forged during a college philosophy class with an atheist professor. One day he scribbled something on the chalkboard that changed my life forever:

If you knew there was a God, would you change your life today?

Everyone in the class seemed certain they wouldn’t change their life at all. But that question haunted me for weeks. I went back to my dorm room, opened my journal, and noticed every line was about me and my wants. For the first time, I saw my self-centeredness and longed for a life that didn’t revolve around me.

I finally landed on a conclusion—if I knew God was real, I would change everything. I would want to know what pleased Him so I could follow His ways. I picked up a Bible and started reading about Jesus and the life He offered—one that didn’t seem self-centered like my journal entries. Day after day, I rushed home from my classes and shuffled through more Scriptures. I smiled, wept, scratched my head, underlined passages, scribbled notes in the margins, and offered up choppy prayers. As the days turned into months and the months turned into years, I can look back and see how God took me out of a self-centered friendship with the world and its values to become a friend of God and His values.

Verse four in The Passion Translation describes friendship with the world this way, “You have become spiritual adulterers who are having an affair, an unholy relationship with the world. Don’t you know that flirting with the world’s values places you at odds with God?”

James clarifies in this passage that all the coveting, quarreling, and fighting stems from selfish motives—it’s the dog-eat-dog way of the world. But life doesn’t have to be that way. When we surrender to God with humility and learn His ways, He pours out His grace in our lives and gives us a rich meaning and purpose beyond our selfishness.

A peek into my journal today reveals a much different story. It’s full of prayers, Scriptures, sermon notes, and praise reports. I’m certain my atheist professor didn’t expect his words on the chalkboard to change anyone’s life—but as it turns out, knowing there is a God not only changed my life then, but it still changes my life daily as I walk in friendship with Him.

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Today's devotional was written by Melissa Miller.

Questions:

1. What are some differences in the world’s values vs. God’s values?
2. What does friendship with God mean to you?
3. How has God changed your life?

Prayer:

God, thank you for your friendship and higher values. Thank you for the better way of the Kingdom of God. Help me to prioritize you and your values over my selfish desires. Amen.