As usual, the Lord is messing with my head. I invite Him in, ask for His wisdom and then whine about what He wants to teach me. I’m not sure why He puts up with me.
I’ve been in a Bible study with some wise and fabulous ladies, studying the book of James. I have a love/hate relationship with that book because I love the way James just tells it like it is – he does not mince words and I’m always amazed at how much the man packed into five little chapters. I dislike James because it is so convicting – every time I read it, I come away feeling like God has smacked me around a bit.
James is all about living what you believe. He knows that works do not save you and that we are saved through faith in the incredible grace of God, but he is bold enough to say that genuine faith produces good deeds. If you are not out there loving people, treating people with grace and mercy, then James calls into question whether you have experienced the love, grace and mercy of God. To him, it all goes hand in hand. Believing is not enough (in a Tamson paraphrase, James says, “Whoop-de-doo, even the demons believe in God). You have to believe enough to trust, to step out there and DO something.
So here’s the thing . . . I like my little bubble. I like my time, my space, my family, my stuff. I try to plug in and serve, try to be a good person, blah, blah, blah. I give myself a pass sometimes by saying that my family is my ministry (as with any good excuse, there is always a nice thread of truth), I can help “later” when my kids are older, God has us in a “resource” phase right now (meaning we can give money/resources instead of ourselves), I do more than ____ (insert name of less involved person here), I don’t want to have some harried, stressed out schedule like ____ (insert name of over-involved, can’t-say-no person here), and the excuse list goes on and on . . .
But James makes it real simple: “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” James 4:17
Ouch. So maybe I’m not serving at a homeless shelter or going on a mission trip, but I did ignore God’s “pestering” about calling that person at church who just had surgery, I have yet to sign up to take a meal to the young mom at church who just had a baby, I haven’t reached out to that new person that just moved to the area, I haven’t sent a card to the person who is grieving over a loss, I haven’t gone to visit an elderly woman from church who is now in the nursing home . . . you get the picture.
God gives me endless opportunities every day (I call them God’s pestering) to do good things, and many times they are simple, small things that won’t alter my precious schedule. It’s hard for me to accept, but when I am not being faithful in the small things, that is sin. And if I can’t be faithful in the small things, how will I ever grow to the point that God can trust me with more?
I’ve been a Christian for 35 years and I still struggle to live out my faith in a tangible, real way on a daily basis. It’s easy to read the Bible, set aside some prayer time, go to church . . . you know, check off all the Christian “boxes” and compartmentalize God. But God can’t be boxed in, and if you are seeking Him (even just a little), He’s going to get all up in your business. Sometimes we seek Him, wanting Him to do big things in our lives, but He asks us to be faithful in the small things (to do the good things we know we ought to do), and, honestly, that’s a lot harder.
There is a danger in over-committing (been there/done that) and women in particular are fantastic at guilting ourselves into doing more than we can handle. I don’t have any problem saying “no” at this stage in my life, but the devil uses good things to keep us from God’s best. It doesn’t take much to distract me from God’s pestering. And even though I find it annoying sometimes, I also know that His pestering is His presence – it’s a gift and a blessing that I don’t want to ignore.
I am not sure where God is taking all of this, but this week, I’m going to try to pay attention to His “pestering.” And I’m going to pray that God gives me the right attitude: to love because He loves me, to give because He has given to me, to comfort because He comforts me. “Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.” (James 2:26) I want to live!
“Be faithful in the small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” Mother Theresa
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Wow! Another great lesson on living the Christian life! You overwhelm me with your wonderful way of making these lessons hit me up side the head! You go, girl! Love you!
Thanks Marilyn! You are always so encouraging. Love you too!
It’s not fair! Not only does God use the Bible to convict me, now he is using you, my daughter. But thanks for being so honest and sharing what God is teaching you through James. I love you.
Well said Tamson, I remember preaching through the book of James when I was a pastor and it not only made me guilty about myself, but made my people feel like I was putting a guilt trip on them as well. Martin Luther wanted James removed from the New Testament and he never liked it. I now realize that James is there to remind me and possibly guilt me into action. However, at this point in my Christian walk that I have come to understand that unless “love” underlies what we do (! Cor. 13) it really does not mean all that much. Anything not done in the “Agape” love of God is meaningless. Consequently, I seldom respond out of guilt because I consider that manipulation. I don’t think God manipulates us, but the conservatives who wrote the scriptures will lay quite a guilt trip on you in a New York minute. Just love the Lord and love others and do what you feel led to do because the evil side will do it ‘s best to make you guilty and keep you so busy that you do not have time for God, family or anyone else. When I begin to feel guilty about doing something that I really do not want to do, I just tell the Lord that I love him, but I do not feel led to that, so get someone else or just do it Himself. He is God and sometimes He just needs to take care of His own business instead of messing with me. I believe that God only wants us do what is done in love. I believe that if you feel led to do it out of love then God is leading you and if you feel led to do it out of guilt then the job will get done, but God will not get a lot of glory for it because it was done for the wrong reason. You can be a blessing to others without serving the Lord because a lot of non- believers do wonderful things. Yet, the non-believers are usually not doing things for the glory of God but for their own glory. Even Christians need to know why they feel led to do good things for others. I am so thrilled that you turned out to be a much better Christian than your Dad. I may get a butt kicking when I get to heaven, but I will just take my chances rather than to live a life that operates out of a motivation of guilt.
Preach it, Brother!
Well, my intention was not to lay a guilt trip on anyone or manipulate in any way – you know me better than that. The sin that I have to battle most often is pride and selfishness. I never feel manipulated by God, but I do feel Him “leaning heavy” on me sometimes, wanting me to understand that it doesn’t do a lot of good to hoard blessings — those blessings just grow when you give them away (to whom much is given, much is expected). Like you, I’m not motivated by guilt and would just assume to say “no” for spite, if I feel like I’m being manipulated. But God doesn’t operate this way, so when I feel Him “pestering” me, I know He has something to tell me, something to teach me, and I’ll regret it if I don’t pay attention. Besides, I’d rather respond to Him while He’s pestering me, and not wait until He needs to hit me like a Mack truck. Or even worse, that I reject those “pesterings” until He gives me what I want and lets me have it my way.
Lots to think about. Thanks…I love the 2 for 1. Dad and daughter! 😉
Great post T. I love your insights , wisdom and jus how you say what is on your heart. I do feel like I hide behind the “my family is a ministry right now.” Some days it really is a ministry and others, I feel so overwhelmed with to dos and things that should be done I feel too tired to reach out. Thank you for reminding me to listen and pay attention to the pestering! Love ya.
Kim