Grappling with this verse...
“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” James 4:17 (ESV)
Sometimes I wish I didn’t know so much. I am not trying to be arrogant or a know it all, but this verse.... If we know we are to do something and don’t do it, it is a sin. Huh? How far & wide does this apply? Or do we keep it in our own comfortable boundaries of what comes easy to us or we have already conquered? I would like to say the later, but I fear that would be wrong; actually I know in my heart that would be wrong.
Does this apply to finances?
Does this apply to being generous & kind?
Does this apply to spending time with the Lord?
Does this apply to swearing?
Does this apply to living pure & holy?
Does this apply to honoring our parents?
Does this apply when our spouse is being cranky/angry/hostile/moody?
Does this apply to loving those who are unlovable to us, who are mean to us, who demean us, who speak poorly of us, who despitefully use us?
Does this apply to loving our neighbors as ourself?
Does this apply to being others oriented and putting others first rather than being selfish & self-centered?
Does this apply to treating our body like the temple of the Holy Spirit like the Bible says it is?
Does this apply to eating right?
Does this apply to leading by example?
Does this apply to every Biblical truth we know?
The answer, without hesitation is absolutely, it does. Think about that for a moment - if we know what to do and don’t do it - to God it is a sin. Wow. How many times a day do I sin then? Yikes.
We often like to qualify sin into categories that we personally don’t have issues with - smoking, drinking, doing drugs, addictions, premarital sex, adultery, swearing, lying, etc. The easy black & white issues, at least in our eyes. I can think about my life and think - I’m doing a pretty good job pleasing God - no moral failures, no addictions, I treat other people nice (most of the time at least), I pray, I try and obey the Bible, I tithe, etc. But, then there is this verse. I need to totally re-evaluate whether I truly am pleasing God with my whole mind, spirit, soul and body. God doesn’t prioritze sin - all sins are equal. There is no grey area, it is or it isn’t. So according to this verse....you get the picture!
Lately, my husband and I have been watching Gold Rush and Bering Sea Gold. If those gold miners/dredgers only looked for nuggets of gold (the big things) and left behind the little specks and flakes - they would have NOTHING, ZERO. Are we that way with God - we only cover the big things and let the rest go to waste when there is infinite value in it? Thus, I grapple with this verse...
Grapple: verb (used without object), grappled, grappling.to hold or make fast to something, in a firm grip, as in wrestling; clinch, to engage in a struggle or close encounter (usually followed by with):He was grappling with a boy twice his size,to try to overcome or deal (usually followed by with):to grapple with a problem.
What knowledge do we have that we aren’t applying? Knowing and doing - two vastly different things. When I used to teach classes in prison on a weekly basis I would encounter inmates who knew the Word backwards and forwards. I often felt like they could quote scriptures in circles around me. However, they did not apply it to their life. The knowing was there, the application was not.
Let’s bring the question to some real life scenarios - daily basis things we encouter where we often don’t apply the knowledge we know, thus we are sinning. As a caveat, I struggle with these things too, so I am in no way pointing the finger at anyone. Just getting myself and hopefully others think to about it.
We know to respect and honor our husbands.
We know to love our wives like Christ loved the church.
We know our children are a gift from the Lord.
We know we should honor & obey our parents.
We know we should respect our elders & those in authority over us?
We know to lead by example.
We know not to blatantly lie, we know little white lies are still lies.
We know we are to practice what we preach, walk the talk.
We know to not talk bad about others, gossip.
We know to make healthier choices for ourselves - to treat our temple better.
We know to love our neighbors as ourselves.
We know premarital sex is wrong.
We know we should exercise our spirit & physical body.
We know we should walk by faith.
We know we should cast our cares on Him.
We know we should tithe & give cheerfully.
We know if you sow sparingly you will reap sparingly.
We know we should read the Bible daily & do devotions.
We know to prioritize time with God over television.
We know to take all thoughts captive and think only on good things:
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
So where does that leave us? Are we utter failures? Should we just give up and forget it? Absolutely not!
Do we need to make a better effort? YES.
Do we need to ask God to help us? YES.
Do we need to realize that choosing not to do the right thing is a sin? YES
Do we need to realize that it is ALL important to God & there is great value in doing the right thing? YES
There is great value in the refinining process. We never ‘arrive’, there is always room for improvement until the day we die. Think about it - a diamond used to be a lump of coal. I have rough edges that the sandpaper of God can smooth out. I have chips on my shoulders that God’s chisel can remove. God’s correction and instruction is a mighty powerful thing that we must heed! We must do what we know to be right, in all circumstances, in all choices, in all matters!
Proverbs 15:5 A fool despises his father's instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent.
Proverbs 3:11 My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof,
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
The good news is God loves us, God forgives us, God helps us, He never leaves us or forsakes us. When we fail He is ever ready to help us up to try again. Will we always get it right? NO we will not, we are human. If we honestly do our best with God’s help that will be enough. But, God doesn’t like mediocrity, if you are going to live for God and please Him you must give it your all, you best do your very best. You must be all in. No fence sitters, no hesitation. All or nothing.
As this can be a seemingly difficult process and it is a process; this does not happen overnight. Refining takes time - that doesn’t mean procrastinate and not being obedient. Just don’t expect to get it right everytime once you make the decision to be obedient in whatever area God is working on you in. Remember, God is our Heavenly Father, so much more than our earthly dads but with many of the same wonderful attributes. Think about a toddler learning to walk. Do they succeed the first time they stand on their own? Do they start running around the house? No it is a process. They hold themselves up by hanging onto furniture or your fingers. Then they will stand by themselves for a second or two, then they might try and move their little feet. But, how many times do they fall down? Infinite numbers of times. Does the parent, just get mad and say - you big failure, you must be destined to crawl your whole life? No, of course not, they help them up over and over and over and over. They stand a couple feet away and encourage, hold out their hands and say you can do it. Then they move a few more feet away and a few more. Before you know it that baby is triumphantly waddling into the parents loving arms knowing I did it, I did it, I walked by myself. The same is true with our Heavenly Father - he is there encouraging, coaxing us along, loving us, helping us up, giving us more and more space to do it right on our own. When we finally conquer something and it becomes natural or second nature for us we can triumphantly run into His arms and say I got it, I finally got it, I did it, thank you for helping me.
Run into His arms, ask for help and love the correction of the Lord! Your life will infinitely improve the day you embrace His advice, guidelines, boundaries, commands & ultimately His unconditional love!
