If
you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not
rebuke you for asking. But
when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a
person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown
and tossed by the wind. Such people should not expect to receive anything
from the Lord. Their
loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in
everything they do. James 1:5-8
As much as I love the Lord and follow Him, there are times
that I struggle with the latter. It is
not because I do not want to follow God.
Instead, I feel torn between the love I have for my fellow man and the
love I have for God. It explains why I
really struggle with condemnation. Sure,
we all must be accountable for our sins and grow to be better advocates for
God. But there are people who I love
dearly, and God has said that they are living in sin. That’s a tough pill to swallow! Thus, my world feels like it is
unstable. These are the times I realize
my spiritual growth is a continual work in progress.
The word of God is meant to be a spiritual guide. We all have situations where we are either
unsure of what to do or how to respond on a spiritual matter. The words of James thus seem to be words of
condemnation for those in that divided world.
In fact, lots of the Book of James seems like it (ex. Faith is dead
without good works – James 2:26b).
However, these are words of guidance and clarity. If we look at these verses through that lens,
one receives God’s wisdom in reading it, and thus is not in the ‘should not expect
to receive anything from the Lord’ camp.
The words are welcome to the troubled and torn because they give
direction. We must look at the word of
God, and pray that we find guidance in it and have both the courage and
conviction to follow it.
Following God is not meant to be easy as Jesus said, “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who
choose that way.” (Matthew 7:13) But do not be discouraged by your past and
current struggles for after telling Peter he would deny Him, Jesus said, “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust
also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If
this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for
you?” (John 14:1-2) It is ok to struggle with things God says to
us. The key is to keep walking toward
Him. Never give up. Never lose faith. What is your struggle with God today? How will you continue to rely on God when
split between God and the world? My
prayer is that we continually challenge ourselves to rely on God when facing
split decisions. Amen.
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