Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
James always packs a lot of truth into short messages. Let's focus on the center of this call to holiness: "Submit yourselves, then, to God. ... Come near to God..." Let's draw our hearts closer to God. When we come into God's presence and draw close to him, we know our thoughts, motives, and behaviors will be seen for what they are in the light of his holiness, righteousness, and grace. At the same time, we know that the devil is forced out of our presence by the radiance of our Father's holy and righteous character. Let's seek God - his righteous character, gracious compassion, and faithful love and justice. Let's draw near to God, yearning to be in his presence so we can be more like him in our daily lives. Let's ask God to cleanse us, make us holy, and wholly his!
My Prayer...
Righteous Father, thank you for your love and forgiveness. Now, dear Father, help me as I yearn to draw closer to you, know you better, and reflect you more fully in my daily life. Purify my heart of any duplicity or secret sin. Cleanse my conscience and empower me to exemplify your grace and holiness. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
"Dear Father, Keep us from turning back to any weak and beggarly things. Help us to live in the glorious freedom brought by the Son of God. Let Christ..."
"During this time [of growth for the church in Antioch] some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up in one of...."
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