James 1:6-8 NASB
"But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of
the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect that he will receive
anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
Many of us struggle with decisions. With the world we live in we find a plethora of choices
and alternatives for the basic of needs. The next time you go into a restaurant, make a note of all the choices the server gives you before they put your order in. I remember once how a cousin of mine came in from Dubai and how annoyed he
got when the waitress went down her list of choices for the entrée he had ordered. Where he is from what you see on the menu is what you get.
When pondering this passage the word “unstable” is what stuck out to me the most. Sometimes our inabilities to make decisions are because there are so many good alternatives to chose from and other times we find ourselves in a struggle for what we want because we just do not know what it is we want. Earlier in this passage James says that if anyone lacks any wisdom, they should ask God and He will give it to them. Then he continues to write about how it is necessary to be stable, undoubting, and single-minded in order to receive anything from the Lord.
In a recent class the concept of mental stability was accepted as absolutely vital in completing a degree in college. In order to have mental stability, you must have a vision and you must focus on that vision. My vision has been to help people that have gone through similar painful circumstances in life. I can see myself counseling people through the pain they are experiencing by bringing them to the feet of our Lord Jesus. With this vision in mind I focus on what it is I want and I have stability in my thinking. I used to want to play baseball, own a company, go into construction management…and the list goes on. But now I have a stable mind without any doubts and with a single purpose.
This simle example is what I believe James is telling us we need to have as followers of the Lord Jesus. We have to be careful about letting every little thing in this world create in us doubts that result in us being tossed like the surf of the sea by the wind. Each of us has a special calling in this world by our Creator. The ultimate purpose of this calling is to reflect the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus, to be light and salt to a dark and lost world. Satan loves it when we are unstable in our ways because he knows it is the best way to keep us from accomplishing the will of the Father. We need to remember that God has given us a vision of the future. In this vision we see our Lord Jesus exalted before an innumerable number of people from every tribe, nation, and tongue. We see that in this future there is no crying, no pain, no suffering, and best of all, no more physical separation from our God and King. Can you see this vision with me? Can you focus on this vision and make your mind become stable, without any doubt and with a single purpose? By doing this your purpose and calling in this world will become clear and instead of being rendered useless by the evil one, you will find yourself living a life that glorifies God in all ways. As Paul says in Colossians, set your mind on things above…
Glory and praise be to Him who created the heavens and the earth.
RJT
Please comment on the Devotion Comments page.
Thanks and God Bless!
"But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of
the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect that he will receive
anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."
Many of us struggle with decisions. With the world we live in we find a plethora of choices
and alternatives for the basic of needs. The next time you go into a restaurant, make a note of all the choices the server gives you before they put your order in. I remember once how a cousin of mine came in from Dubai and how annoyed he
got when the waitress went down her list of choices for the entrée he had ordered. Where he is from what you see on the menu is what you get.
When pondering this passage the word “unstable” is what stuck out to me the most. Sometimes our inabilities to make decisions are because there are so many good alternatives to chose from and other times we find ourselves in a struggle for what we want because we just do not know what it is we want. Earlier in this passage James says that if anyone lacks any wisdom, they should ask God and He will give it to them. Then he continues to write about how it is necessary to be stable, undoubting, and single-minded in order to receive anything from the Lord.
In a recent class the concept of mental stability was accepted as absolutely vital in completing a degree in college. In order to have mental stability, you must have a vision and you must focus on that vision. My vision has been to help people that have gone through similar painful circumstances in life. I can see myself counseling people through the pain they are experiencing by bringing them to the feet of our Lord Jesus. With this vision in mind I focus on what it is I want and I have stability in my thinking. I used to want to play baseball, own a company, go into construction management…and the list goes on. But now I have a stable mind without any doubts and with a single purpose.
This simle example is what I believe James is telling us we need to have as followers of the Lord Jesus. We have to be careful about letting every little thing in this world create in us doubts that result in us being tossed like the surf of the sea by the wind. Each of us has a special calling in this world by our Creator. The ultimate purpose of this calling is to reflect the image and likeness of our Lord Jesus, to be light and salt to a dark and lost world. Satan loves it when we are unstable in our ways because he knows it is the best way to keep us from accomplishing the will of the Father. We need to remember that God has given us a vision of the future. In this vision we see our Lord Jesus exalted before an innumerable number of people from every tribe, nation, and tongue. We see that in this future there is no crying, no pain, no suffering, and best of all, no more physical separation from our God and King. Can you see this vision with me? Can you focus on this vision and make your mind become stable, without any doubt and with a single purpose? By doing this your purpose and calling in this world will become clear and instead of being rendered useless by the evil one, you will find yourself living a life that glorifies God in all ways. As Paul says in Colossians, set your mind on things above…
Glory and praise be to Him who created the heavens and the earth.
RJT
Please comment on the Devotion Comments page.
Thanks and God Bless!
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