Come Now

“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So, whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”  James 4:13-17 ESV

Growing up I had this idea that being a Christian was about avoiding this list of things not to do. That in order to be a good Christian, I needed to avoid these certain things and if I could do that then I’d one day get to be in heaven. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to this understanding that being a Christian is more than just this checklist of don’ts. Verse 17 is my favorite passage in all scripture for this very reason. This verse is a call to something greater than just a list of things to avoid. We are called, not only to resist temptation but to be a reflection of the light of Christ. This means that we must look different and act differently. My prayer for you this week is that you will pursue the good.

God this week would you fill us with your spirit of goodness and peace. I pray that your spirit will speak to our hearts and encourage us to do good. May we live into this call to be your light in the world. We thank you for your love and for your grace. Amen.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Lake