James is one of the shorter books in the New Testament, but it is certainly full of many key scriptures. From James we learn about how to control our lives with our tongues! This is really one of the most interesting letters written by these early apostles. But in James it seems that to me personally, chapter 4 has always stood out.
Verse 8 has been a mainstay - Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. I have read it, taught it and practiced it for years. But this morning a different verse grabbed my attention. It's on down in verse 10. It simply states: When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him, he will lift you up and give you honor. Many would like to stress the latter portion of this verse - but I want to major on the first part.
When we can come to the point that we remove ourselves from the picture and realize that our strength does not and cannot come from ourselves - He will give us strength. And His strength can carry us much further than we can in our own. This is one of those verses that sounds simple. It's easy to say, O, I get it - sure! I need you to carry me Lord for I depend on You. And then get up and go about our day in our own strength once again. It's much more difficult to carry out than it is to read or say! lol!
Today I will concentrate on my heart's position before Him. I will keep my heart in a place of humility; a place that humbly needs Him to carry me. As caregivers even though we are very much aware of our weakness - we tend to think we are superman/superwoman! But today let us lay aside our own strengths and rely solely on Him. We will not be nearly so tired at the end of the day!
Verse 8 has been a mainstay - Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. I have read it, taught it and practiced it for years. But this morning a different verse grabbed my attention. It's on down in verse 10. It simply states: When you bow down before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him, he will lift you up and give you honor. Many would like to stress the latter portion of this verse - but I want to major on the first part.
When we can come to the point that we remove ourselves from the picture and realize that our strength does not and cannot come from ourselves - He will give us strength. And His strength can carry us much further than we can in our own. This is one of those verses that sounds simple. It's easy to say, O, I get it - sure! I need you to carry me Lord for I depend on You. And then get up and go about our day in our own strength once again. It's much more difficult to carry out than it is to read or say! lol!
Today I will concentrate on my heart's position before Him. I will keep my heart in a place of humility; a place that humbly needs Him to carry me. As caregivers even though we are very much aware of our weakness - we tend to think we are superman/superwoman! But today let us lay aside our own strengths and rely solely on Him. We will not be nearly so tired at the end of the day!
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