In the 4th chapter of the book James, the author explains in the most coherent detail what is actually wrong with many members of Christ's church and what one can do to fix it. It doesn't get any better than that. Here's what's wrong and here's how to make it better. Boom. Boom. According to James, we are self-absorbed children with false senses of entitlement and until we acknowledge that the Lord is all we need and knows more than we, our immature, adulterous (that's right, you're cheating on Christ. hard) behavior will continue. James calls us to submit to the Lord and then he challenges us to commit to the Lord. The early church (and us as well) is given a two step formula to receive the blessings of the Lord. 2 steps. Granted, they are the two hardest steps a man may have to take but also, they are the easiest once we understand the implications and rewards. You are given a choice. Either (A) be a rebellious child who complains about what he doesn't have but insists that he will get it on his own somehow and therefore gets nothing [insert clever remark about 22 catches] or (B) humble yourself before the Lord and receive the desires of your heart when you truly ask for them in the name of Christ [insert clever remark about how human beings are the biggest piles of self-absorbed crap the universe has ever known]. The choice is obvious. Yet it comes with a challenge. So you've made the choice to humble yourselves before the Lord because, as James' quote from Proverbs reminds us, the Lord opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Great. You got that one right. However, there is a challenge that follows. You have to submit to the Lord and you have to commit to the Lord. Up. Down. Left. Right. A. B. Start. Select. For the win.
Here's something for your eyes and ears.
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