Scripture: James 4:6-10
But he gives all the more grace; therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Thought for the Day: I have a very vivid memory from childhood where I am sitting in my home church listening to a woman soloist sing the hymn, I Surrender All. The chorus goes:
I surrender all,
I surrender all,
All to Thee, my blessed Savior,
I surrender all.
It is a compelling and idealistic thought, but do we really surrender ALL? Maybe it would be better to direct that question to myself—and if I do, the answer is NO. There are days when I surrender some of who I am, but surrendering my ego, my hopes, my opinions, my checkbook, my time, my reactions, my relationships, my… requires some more work.
In the 4th chapter of James, we find a discussion on the internal conflicts that confront people on a regular basis. We are not to be friends with the world (relinquishing ourselves to the priorities of culture), but station ourselves under (literal meaning of the Greek word that we translate as submit) God. If we have allowed God’s grace to be over our lives, we are much less likely to struggle with the things of this world that beckon us to yield to their unhelpful and unhealthy ways.
Prayer: May our friendship grow, O Lord, so I am able to trust in your love and relinquish myself more fully to you. Amen.
WORKDAY THIS SUNDAY
11:00am – 3:00pm
Come to Church in your work clothes
If it is raining,
we are going to find
tasks inside the church.
Sunday’s Sermon:
An Unyielding Surrender
Ephesians 5:21 & Matthew 16:24-26
