JAMES: last weeks enhanced episode

As we finish reading through the book of James, I just wanted to share a few things that stood out to me as being particularly encouraging for this process that we're partaking in as a group.

Chapter 4:8

"Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. "

NLT

That first sentence is so great! Presented simply as a statement of a fact, as we move toward God, He moves toward us. Every step we take in the direction of seeking God results in dramatically increased closeness. I think I used to imagine God as either being stationary, or God moving in his own direction that I had to catch up with. How beautiful is it that God so desires us that He moves as soon as we move... that He is willing to come to us as soon as we decide we want to go to Him.

Also, the part about our loyalty being divided between God and the world... this isn't something to fill you with guilt and make you beat yourself up. I think much more than that it is something that we all deal with, but the recognition of it as our own reality allows us to actively move away from it.

-Lander