Right now, I can only get through about 2 verses of James at a time. It is SO convicting, challenging and in my face that I read about that much & then need a day or two to chew on it. In the meantime, I've finished Radical and have started another, The Hole in Our Gospel.
[I'm so amazed at what God is doing in us. Dale had 2 books in at the library & I went with him to pick them up...both about worldwide poverty. I was filled with thankfulness (the only way I know to describe it) that Holy Spirit is bringing us both in the same direction...that's how I know this is Holy Spirit working & not just a guilty conscience.]
But I went back to James this morning...4:4-5, "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: 'He jealously desires the Spirit, which He has made to dwell in us'?"
See what I mean? If I call myself a Jesus follower, I can't pick & choose which verses I want to apply to my life. I have to accept & apply the whole thing. If I REALLY think through this verse, my life will change drastically...and that's not an exaggeration. As an American Christian, this is a tough pill to swallow.
What does James mean by friendship...where's the line?? I could say He's only talking about obvious evil, but then what do I do with Scriptures like Romans 8:7 "The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God." or I John 2:15, "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
I think he's talking about more than just obvious evil. Do I really need the latest CD, DVD, video game, magazine or a Diet Coke everyday (ouch!) when at least the first four cost the equivalent of 1-4 weeks wages for most of the world?? Do I really need to spend most of my day trying to plan what I'm going to fix for dinner when a simple meal provides the same nourishment & costs less?
And James 4:5 about the Holy Spirit being jealous to live in me. Wow! That makes me stop. I'm reminded of how Francis Chan wrote about Galatians 3:13-14 "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us...so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith." Jesus went through his tortuous death SO THAT the Spirit can live in us...no wonder He's jealous to live in us!!
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and that you are not your own?" I Corinthians 6:19
I am not my own??
That most definitely flies in the face of American do-it-yourselfness. Hmmm??? If I am not my own, then I belong to the Spirit and HE tells me what is friend to Him & what is a friend to the world. I have to ask HIM about every purchase, every meal, everything I do with my time, every thought, every action...with everything I do, think or say, am I acting like a friend of the Spirit or a friend of the world?
As I prayed this morning, I said, "It's like You're re-wiring me." And it is! It's frightening and exciting. Idols I've struggled with for YEARS are being painfully pulled away. And sometimes it's not so painful. It's easier to give up McDonalds when I remember that it's not only unhealthy (which has never stopped me, sadly!) but also costs about 2-3 days wages for most of the world. Is it so tasty & good for me that it's worth 2-3 days wages??? If I can't answer that one in the negative then there is something seriously wrong with me.
Bottom line...He wants ALL of me. He wants me to love the things He loves & hate the things He hates. The scales are falling from my eyes one by one and I'm daily amazed to see the world through His eyes. This is proving to be an amazing journey & I can't wait to see where He takes us next!!
[I'm so amazed at what God is doing in us. Dale had 2 books in at the library & I went with him to pick them up...both about worldwide poverty. I was filled with thankfulness (the only way I know to describe it) that Holy Spirit is bringing us both in the same direction...that's how I know this is Holy Spirit working & not just a guilty conscience.]
But I went back to James this morning...4:4-5, "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: 'He jealously desires the Spirit, which He has made to dwell in us'?"
See what I mean? If I call myself a Jesus follower, I can't pick & choose which verses I want to apply to my life. I have to accept & apply the whole thing. If I REALLY think through this verse, my life will change drastically...and that's not an exaggeration. As an American Christian, this is a tough pill to swallow.
What does James mean by friendship...where's the line?? I could say He's only talking about obvious evil, but then what do I do with Scriptures like Romans 8:7 "The mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God." or I John 2:15, "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
I think he's talking about more than just obvious evil. Do I really need the latest CD, DVD, video game, magazine or a Diet Coke everyday (ouch!) when at least the first four cost the equivalent of 1-4 weeks wages for most of the world?? Do I really need to spend most of my day trying to plan what I'm going to fix for dinner when a simple meal provides the same nourishment & costs less?
And James 4:5 about the Holy Spirit being jealous to live in me. Wow! That makes me stop. I'm reminded of how Francis Chan wrote about Galatians 3:13-14 "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us...so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith." Jesus went through his tortuous death SO THAT the Spirit can live in us...no wonder He's jealous to live in us!!
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God and that you are not your own?" I Corinthians 6:19
I am not my own??
That most definitely flies in the face of American do-it-yourselfness. Hmmm??? If I am not my own, then I belong to the Spirit and HE tells me what is friend to Him & what is a friend to the world. I have to ask HIM about every purchase, every meal, everything I do with my time, every thought, every action...with everything I do, think or say, am I acting like a friend of the Spirit or a friend of the world?
As I prayed this morning, I said, "It's like You're re-wiring me." And it is! It's frightening and exciting. Idols I've struggled with for YEARS are being painfully pulled away. And sometimes it's not so painful. It's easier to give up McDonalds when I remember that it's not only unhealthy (which has never stopped me, sadly!) but also costs about 2-3 days wages for most of the world. Is it so tasty & good for me that it's worth 2-3 days wages??? If I can't answer that one in the negative then there is something seriously wrong with me.
Bottom line...He wants ALL of me. He wants me to love the things He loves & hate the things He hates. The scales are falling from my eyes one by one and I'm daily amazed to see the world through His eyes. This is proving to be an amazing journey & I can't wait to see where He takes us next!!
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