I sure love how God works! Towards the end of 2011, I stumbled upon this verse towards the end of James and even though I've read it many times, it really jumped off the page and brought new meaning. Mostly it brought conviction into my life on so many different levels. There were (are) things in my life that I know I need to be doing, or doing differently, or avoiding altogether, and even though they are not considered sinful things, they were a sin to me because I knew the good I needed to be doing and I wasn't doing it.
For example, I was addicted to soda. Everyday my body craved a coke. Around lunchtime it was just a given that I needed one to get through my day and I would do whatever it took to get my drink. I would plan my errands around where I would get my soda from that day. I knew that if I continued to drink soda day in and day out it would be sinful for me. I knew water was what I needed to be drinking so after several weeks of fighting with myself about giving up soda, James 4:17 confronted me and I broke up with soda and started to date water. It wasn't long before I fell in love with water again and it was bringing a smile to my face instead of the soda. I have to say that surprisingly, it wasn't that hard to give it up, probably because I've given up soda before so my body knew it would make it without having it daily.
Something else I was convicted about was my lack of exercise. I knew I needed to be doing some form of exercise. If I continued not to do anything, I would be sinning. So I started working out and boy does it feel good! I'm on my second month of working out and my body is adjusting just fine. I run/walk about every other day for 2 miles. I don't always feel like doing it but I'm always thankful when I do and have more energy to get through my day.
And one more area I will share with you is I was feeling convicted about not being in God's word daily. After writing my Bible study on the Old Testament book of Zechariah which took me most of 2011, I took a hiatus so to speak from being in God's word on a daily basis. After studying Zechariah in depth, I needed a break! It's silly now that I read that, but I'm just being honest. The idea to write this study came towards the end of 2010 after reading through the entire Bible in one year, something I had never done before. I so enjoyed the Bible reading plan and felt so grounded in God's word in 2010. 2011 was all about Zechariah so that left me wondering what I should read in my Bible in 2012. I'm the kind of girl that operates better on a plan, but at the same time I know I need to leave room for God's promptings as well. Since I read to Anna every night at bedtime, I thought it might be fun to read the Bible (outloud) but this time read it in chronological order. So on Jan. 1st, Anna and I started the reading plan. I borrowed the Bible from my dad because he has a chronological Bible laid out by the day starting with Jan. 1st and ending on December 31st. Anna and I are 14 days into reading it and it has been fabulous. There is something about reading the Bible out loud and being able to view God's word through the eyes of a child. I love the comments Anna makes and the questions she asks. There really is such simplicity in God's word, us adults sometimes make things so darn complicated. I so look forward to this time every night at 8:00, it's my time to soak in God's word and then talk with my daughter about what we have read. I think how amazing it will be for her to have heard God's word in it's entirety at the age of 7!
I'm finding that James 4:17 is going to be how I operate in 2012. When God shows me the good I ought to do, I will do it out of obedience to my Savior. I know it won't always be easy, I know my feet may drag a bit (or a lot) and I might even pout now and then, but I also know I will grow in my relationship with Christ and that God will be my strength and my help as I go about my day to day life. So far, in just 14 short days, I'm finding this verse making it's way through every area of my life. So what about you? Is there something in your life that you know you ought to be doing but for some reason you're not? Why don't you read James 4:17 and see how God leads you.
"If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them."
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