Reforming the Feminine ContentConvicted much?
James 4:17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
I always feel better when Scripture starts sentences the same way I do.
So, I’ve been reading James & Hosea this week, a lovely combination. And I read this yesterday “whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
After my reading time, I started attending to some house work, at which point I saw a car park out on the street and several well dressed young men step out. Within seconds I shut the front door, and scurried into the back of the house to the safety of taking a shower. Once in said safe shower, I was thinking of the action I had just, and almost unthinkingly done. And so I thought, I should at least pray for them. At this point God reminded me that maybe I was the one He wanted them to talk with, reminded me that it’s not by my strength, wisdom or knowledge. It was a lovely moment of conviction.
When I got out of the shower my roommate was home and a friend was over, and as we waited for dinner to be ready, the three young men came up to the door and I, having just confessed said conviction to roommate and friend, got to be the one to go talk with them, and it wasn’t the horrible experience I had thought it was going to be.
I always get intimidated when circumstances come up to share Jesus with people, which when I take a step back from things is just d-u-m dumb. I love Jesus, He’s the best part of my life, the only part that I literally couldn’t live without.
I love my Bible, I may suck at studying it, but over the years I’ve become pretty good at reading it over and over and over. Especially parts like Hosea and James. I like the conviction they bring, that they remind me that God disciplines me because He loves me. Discipline isn’t fun, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. or maybe that’s why it comes, I’ve tried to trade something much too precious for the world.
Wonderful post. First off, as a college English instructor, I loved your reference to scripture guiding your grammar. We use it to guide us in everything else, why not that. I’ve caught myself justifying my sentence structure that way before, too. I suppose that as long as it’s not the KJV, it’s probably a safe bet (we don’t tend to use a lot of thees and thous in my college compositions classes these days).
Thanks for your candid reflection on your experience with the missionaries at your door, something that I’m sure all of us have dealt with at one time or another. I tend to err on the other side, instead of running from them, I am rude and in their face. I have a different kind of sinful attitude to submit to the Holy Spirit.