Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Lately this verse has been on my mind A LOT.
It's revealing a lot of selfishness I'm harboring.
The thing is, I know that should I relate the situations to others I'd be met with a lot of sympathy and not this verse.
We like to console people, not admonish them, especially when they are looking for a sympathetic ear, someone to commiserate with them.
We want people to commiserate with us. We want them to reaffirm our belief that we are being greatly put upon either by others or by situations in our lives.
We love telling others about our situations, don't we? We find it hard not to talk about the things we endure. We make lists- this is going on, and this, and not only this but that too. And as we read off this mental list we are expecting understanding from those we talk to. More often than not we will be entrusted with a list of their 'things' too. We share these hardships and we do so all in the name of something wonderful called 'helping one another'. We help each other this way and yet how much help are we to each other in the spiritual realm of things if we are simply commiserating with someone.
Oh, I know, people all the time say it just helps to be able to talk it out with someone, to air it all out, to just get it off our chests and out from under our hats. It does help, it does because a lot of times we air everything and don't feel so heavily burdened, we've shared the burden even if it's only mentally and a bit emotionally. No problem may be solved but we have an ally, someone who knows and understands AND commiserates.
I'm not going to say it's wrong to talk about it rather than keep it inside but I have to say that perhaps we should talk about it MORE with God than with others. We should look to HIM for commiseration first and foremost. If we find that as we air our grievances before Him that He is really trying to admonish us for something in our lives then we have to accept our correction by Him and praise Him, thank Him for guiding us this wondrous way.
God will use amazing situations to mold and make us IF we allow Him too. If we recognize His teaching through His chastisements. Not every situation we are thrown into is meant to discourage us, but rather refine us.
If we were QUICK to ask God what lessons we are learning, rather than being QUICK to bemoan our situations do you suppose we might learn more? Instead of being quick to judge God by shaking our heads and crying, why me God, why now, why must this all be happening to me? Perhaps we really should be saying - Your will God, teach me through this, help me, show me all I need to be shown, give me the faith I need to endure.
As I said at the beginning of this- a particular verse keeps coming to mind of late:
Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Is it really this simple? Doing what we know to be the right thing as oppose to doing things that are questionable?
There are a lot of GOOD things we are to do, but a lot of times we choose rather to do things that are easier, or things that we tell ourselves are good. We do that often, we weigh situations and confronted not with a blatantly good versus bad, we contemplate all the gray areas and often choose one of those because they are close enough to the white area to satisfy the requirement of what we call good.
Maybe I'm writing this and using way too many 'we's'. This could be my own personal struggle here that no one else has, I really don't know and I can't speak for everyone. But I know as a person who is asked to do a lot of things that I find my first inclination not wanting to do most things but rather stay in my own comfortable existence. I don't want to get up at this particular time, I don't want to go out at another particular time, I really do not want to bother with the yard work, or the scrubbing, or this, that, and the other thing. And because I do have to do so much when I'm asked to do more I justify my not wanting to by bewailing my already seemingly heavy load.
ANY YET-
To him that knoweth to do GOOD and doeth it NOT to him it is SIN.
Not doing what is good, what is right, but choosing to do other things or even choosing to do nothing is SIN.
WE don't have to commit grave acts of depravity to sin. We can simply look the other way when we should be committing an act of kindness, of goodness, and it is sin.
We don't…or rather I don't think I realized the extent of my sinning in this regard- by choosing not to do something that is good-without murmuring, without complaining, without resentment, etc.
There is a popular song on the Christian radio station lately that has these words-
'You're not finished with me yet.'
I THANK GOD that HE is not finished with me yet because there is so much in me that needs to be refined in the fire.
PRAISE GOD for bringing to my attention all the areas of sin in my life. Forgive me my awful sinfulness and LORD help me to be Yours fully, YOU IN ME, PUTTING ON CHRIST ALWAYS!
Lord show us ALL where we need to seek Your forgiveness even in the smallest of sins.
Help us ALL LORD to KNOW what is GOOD and to DO that which is GOOD so that we are NOT sinning by choosing not to do the good You reveal to us in ALL things.
Please LORD help me, help us all!
By YOUR grace and mercy!!!!!!!
By YOUR LOVE!
Lately this verse has been on my mind A LOT.
It's revealing a lot of selfishness I'm harboring.
The thing is, I know that should I relate the situations to others I'd be met with a lot of sympathy and not this verse.
We like to console people, not admonish them, especially when they are looking for a sympathetic ear, someone to commiserate with them.
We want people to commiserate with us. We want them to reaffirm our belief that we are being greatly put upon either by others or by situations in our lives.
We love telling others about our situations, don't we? We find it hard not to talk about the things we endure. We make lists- this is going on, and this, and not only this but that too. And as we read off this mental list we are expecting understanding from those we talk to. More often than not we will be entrusted with a list of their 'things' too. We share these hardships and we do so all in the name of something wonderful called 'helping one another'. We help each other this way and yet how much help are we to each other in the spiritual realm of things if we are simply commiserating with someone.
Oh, I know, people all the time say it just helps to be able to talk it out with someone, to air it all out, to just get it off our chests and out from under our hats. It does help, it does because a lot of times we air everything and don't feel so heavily burdened, we've shared the burden even if it's only mentally and a bit emotionally. No problem may be solved but we have an ally, someone who knows and understands AND commiserates.
I'm not going to say it's wrong to talk about it rather than keep it inside but I have to say that perhaps we should talk about it MORE with God than with others. We should look to HIM for commiseration first and foremost. If we find that as we air our grievances before Him that He is really trying to admonish us for something in our lives then we have to accept our correction by Him and praise Him, thank Him for guiding us this wondrous way.
God will use amazing situations to mold and make us IF we allow Him too. If we recognize His teaching through His chastisements. Not every situation we are thrown into is meant to discourage us, but rather refine us.
If we were QUICK to ask God what lessons we are learning, rather than being QUICK to bemoan our situations do you suppose we might learn more? Instead of being quick to judge God by shaking our heads and crying, why me God, why now, why must this all be happening to me? Perhaps we really should be saying - Your will God, teach me through this, help me, show me all I need to be shown, give me the faith I need to endure.
As I said at the beginning of this- a particular verse keeps coming to mind of late:
Jas 4:17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Is it really this simple? Doing what we know to be the right thing as oppose to doing things that are questionable?
There are a lot of GOOD things we are to do, but a lot of times we choose rather to do things that are easier, or things that we tell ourselves are good. We do that often, we weigh situations and confronted not with a blatantly good versus bad, we contemplate all the gray areas and often choose one of those because they are close enough to the white area to satisfy the requirement of what we call good.
Maybe I'm writing this and using way too many 'we's'. This could be my own personal struggle here that no one else has, I really don't know and I can't speak for everyone. But I know as a person who is asked to do a lot of things that I find my first inclination not wanting to do most things but rather stay in my own comfortable existence. I don't want to get up at this particular time, I don't want to go out at another particular time, I really do not want to bother with the yard work, or the scrubbing, or this, that, and the other thing. And because I do have to do so much when I'm asked to do more I justify my not wanting to by bewailing my already seemingly heavy load.
ANY YET-
To him that knoweth to do GOOD and doeth it NOT to him it is SIN.
Not doing what is good, what is right, but choosing to do other things or even choosing to do nothing is SIN.
WE don't have to commit grave acts of depravity to sin. We can simply look the other way when we should be committing an act of kindness, of goodness, and it is sin.
We don't…or rather I don't think I realized the extent of my sinning in this regard- by choosing not to do something that is good-without murmuring, without complaining, without resentment, etc.
There is a popular song on the Christian radio station lately that has these words-
'You're not finished with me yet.'
I THANK GOD that HE is not finished with me yet because there is so much in me that needs to be refined in the fire.
PRAISE GOD for bringing to my attention all the areas of sin in my life. Forgive me my awful sinfulness and LORD help me to be Yours fully, YOU IN ME, PUTTING ON CHRIST ALWAYS!
Lord show us ALL where we need to seek Your forgiveness even in the smallest of sins.
Help us ALL LORD to KNOW what is GOOD and to DO that which is GOOD so that we are NOT sinning by choosing not to do the good You reveal to us in ALL things.
Please LORD help me, help us all!
By YOUR grace and mercy!!!!!!!
By YOUR LOVE!
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