Journal ~ JamesSample

 GETCHA HEAD IN THE GAME 

The truth is, what God gives to the people who chooses to be his friends is far better than anything the world can offer us. But we do have to choose. Choosing God involves committing to do certain things. James lists the lot of them and was pretty much telling the people to get their head in the game. Hunker down and be serious about your faith!

Submission. That word often feels like a dirty word. Even saying it at times make us feel uncomfortable. It involves too much trust, too little control; it sometimes feels weak. James tells the followers of Jesus to submit themselves to God. Trust God. Let him be in control. Let him be the strong one in this relationship.

Resist the devil. It’s interesting that James never said try to resist the devil. He simply say, “resist him.” There's a certain power in these simple words. If we resist the devil, he will flee. The devil does not have power and authority over us. We're the ones who have the power to make him go away. We just often forget we have that power. 

Come near. The term “personal space” does not exist when it comes to us and God. It shouldn’t. The invitation for us is always to draw closer to God. He is a God who always want us closer to him. He doesn't dangle knowledge of him in front of us like a carrot on a stick only to yank it out of our reach at the last second. That is not God. When we choose to take the step closer to him, he draws near to us. Isn't that good news?

Get clean. Don't just muck around in the filth that comes from overexposure and overidentification with the world. James tells his readers to get cleaned up. Make yourself presentable. Live holy lives. It's no longer acceptable to run around with sin still clinging to us. Part of becoming wiser and more mature in Christ is to live holy lives with God's help.

Humble yourself. No, not the false-humility-but-look-at-me-I'm-so-humble kind of way. Acknowledge the fact that we are nothing without Christ. We can't save ourselves, we can't save others. All we can do is let the One who can save (and has done it successfully) be in charge.