Have you ever?

So then, submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil and he will run away from you. Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners! Purify your hearts, you hypocrites! Be sorrowful, cry, and weep; change your laughter into crying, your joy into gloom! Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (verses 7-10)

Read James 3:13-4:12

Have you ever thought about how valuable you are to God? Have you ever thought about how much God delights in you and how much he wants to give you every good gift that he can give? In our lives we spend a lot of time thinking about things that seem to make us special: we think about the work we do or the things we own or the people we know. We also think about the people who love us and care about us. But it can sometimes be very hard to think about ourselves as God thinks about us.

Sometimes we can act as if we have to make ourselves special – as if we have to prove our worth to those around us. This can lead us into some of the most foolish quarrelling and arguments and hypocrisy. But God is delighted when we give up trying to prove how important we are and instead think about what he has done for us.

You are eternally important to God. God gave you the gift of Jesus, so that you can share the gift of life and peace from God. Listen to God, and he will lift you up.

God, open my ears to hear you speaking to me. Amen.

By Fraser Pearce, in “God’s Promises for each day” (LCA, Openbook Publishers (1999)

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