Verse of the Day - James 4:17

Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. ~ James 4:17 (NLT)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dang. You mean the Christian walk isn't just about the "don'ts"...? There are "do's", too...?

Uh, yeah. There are "do's", too....

Funny, I remember being in a church where an older guy prayed out loud once, rather liturgically, "Lord, forgive us for our sins of omission and commission..." I guess that pretty much covers the entire gamut of what we omit (don't do) and what we commit (do do). But I think sometimes we think we're doing pretty good if we don't swear, don't have hateful thoughts, don't break the law (does speeding have to be included in that?!? :-). But God calls us to a higher standard -- we have the flip side of the 'don'ts' that we're responsible for, too. Dang...

~ You know you should call so-and-so because they need encouragement -- God brought them to your mind and you're thinking of them. But you also know that they are a whiner and will talk your ear off. Should I, or shouldn't I call? Will I, or won't I?

~ You see a person in the grocery store parking lot struggling with their groceries, and your heart (God) says to help them. But time seems short and you have your own shopping to do. Should I, or shouldn't I help? Will I, or won't I?

~ You sit down to watch TV and see your Bible on the coffee table. You feel a prick in your soul because it seems like every day goes by, and you routinely sidestep getting in touch with God. But TV is mindless, and you've had a hard day. Should I, or shouldn't I read? Will I, or won't I?

I think doing what's right is often harder than not doing what's wrong. It takes more discipline, more effort, more commitment to be on the offense rather than just on the defense. Welcome to Team Believer! :-) But, the good news is that God will give us what we need to be on the offense, to be pro-active in doing the "do's".

God never said that being well-rounded in your spiritual walk wasn't gonna be a stretching experience. He says if we're only playing one side of the record by avoiding the "don'ts", we're sinning. Ouch. Rather, we need to play the flip side, too, and do the "do's", as well.

So, today . . . do the do. :-)

Love,
Joelene