GRACE-WARD!
“Freedom From Sin and Favor From God Follow The Practice of His Word!”
In some places (like here in SoCal) it seems that success requires having “the right look.” That may be debatable in some areas but it is certainly true when it comes to closing the spiritual gap between what we believe and how we behave. James teaches us that just listening to God’s Word (looking into it) and believing it’s true is not enough. We have to look into the mirror of God’s Word the right way!
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. (James 1:19-25)
What is the “right look”?
Look Carefully… Consistently… and Consciously keeping it before you. As we do, we will enjoy a growing freedom from sin and favor from God.
May God’s Spirit go to work closing those gaps between what we believe and how we behave this week as we make small, sustainable, Spirit-empowered steps. Major changes don’t always happen in large, sweeping chunks. Sometimes… probably most of the time they take place in incremental but sustainable steps.