"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."
James 5:13, 14 (NKJV)
It's great to be in a church service or at a special meeting with a group of believers. It can be very inspiring to hear a message that encourages us and motivates us to do more for God. It seems as though when we are in these kinds of situations we are confident that God can do anything and that no matter what we might face we will overcome. The problem is that we don't live at church and we don't have special meetings every day. We may not have a problem getting excited and shouting on Sunday, but what about the rest of the week? Can we shout on Monday just like on Sunday?
It's easy for us to get excited in a crowd or to rely on others to keep us motivated and help us in difficult times. But, we will all come to a point where we have to stand on our own. In James 5 it says that if someone is suffering they need to pray; it does not say that we just automatically call someone else for help or run to a seminar. James also says if someone is cheerful they should sing, that part is easy. Singing and even praying are easy on Sunday but can we pray and sing just as easily on our own on Monday as we can with the help and encouragement of others on Sunday?
This shows us the need for spiritual growth and an understanding of who we are in Christ, and this points us back to God's Word. While we may not have a meeting to go to and we may not have our pastor or other Christian friends around on Monday we still have the Bible. Yes there will be times when we face a situation that we must call for help, as James 5:14 says. But, if everyone is just in the position that they always need to call someone else for help who would we all turn to? We all need one another, as well as spiritual growth and development in our life and a solid foundation in God's Word. If we have these things then no matter what we face we will always come through triumphantly, every day of the week!
James 5:13, 14 (NKJV)
It's great to be in a church service or at a special meeting with a group of believers. It can be very inspiring to hear a message that encourages us and motivates us to do more for God. It seems as though when we are in these kinds of situations we are confident that God can do anything and that no matter what we might face we will overcome. The problem is that we don't live at church and we don't have special meetings every day. We may not have a problem getting excited and shouting on Sunday, but what about the rest of the week? Can we shout on Monday just like on Sunday?
It's easy for us to get excited in a crowd or to rely on others to keep us motivated and help us in difficult times. But, we will all come to a point where we have to stand on our own. In James 5 it says that if someone is suffering they need to pray; it does not say that we just automatically call someone else for help or run to a seminar. James also says if someone is cheerful they should sing, that part is easy. Singing and even praying are easy on Sunday but can we pray and sing just as easily on our own on Monday as we can with the help and encouragement of others on Sunday?
This shows us the need for spiritual growth and an understanding of who we are in Christ, and this points us back to God's Word. While we may not have a meeting to go to and we may not have our pastor or other Christian friends around on Monday we still have the Bible. Yes there will be times when we face a situation that we must call for help, as James 5:14 says. But, if everyone is just in the position that they always need to call someone else for help who would we all turn to? We all need one another, as well as spiritual growth and development in our life and a solid foundation in God's Word. If we have these things then no matter what we face we will always come through triumphantly, every day of the week!
No comments:
Post a Comment