Empowered by Grace

I'm obsessed with the book of James right now.

James is like an old school Pentecostal preacher who pauses after every convicting point and waits for the congregation to shout AMEN!

James 1:22 has been stirring me:

"Don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise you are only fooling yourselves."

This scripture continues to become more and more challenging for me. It SOUNDS simple. But that is exactly the issue - Gods word is EASY to read, but is very DIFFICULT to apply.

It sounds simple to stay married - just love your wife! But the reality is that 50% of marriages end in divorce.

It sounds simple to have faith in difficult situations. But then we loose our job and think, "God where are you?"

If our FAITH is alive, we should ACT on God's word - so how do we live this life of FAITH? How do we become DOERS of Gods word instead of simply HEARING Gods word?

I think my Pastor, John Burns, has an incredible answer. He says:

"When you see His Grace, He sees your Faith."

When I see his Grace, I have strength to unconditionally love my Wife and Son. When I see his Grace, I am empowered to boldly pray and minister to others. When I see his Grace, I understand and trust His faithfulness even when my faith is weak.

So let the goodness and grace of God empower you gladly DO his word. Not out of obligation, but because He's just that good.

K.