A Call to Action

We have just started a new study with my Bible Study. We are doing an inductive study of James and I am really looking forward to it. Throughout James, there are 54 calls to action in 108 verses. James is speaking to other believers in his book and challenging and encouraging them to life a life of high morality and spiritual maturity.

We were discussing last night about how our belief is Christ affects all avenues in our life. Faith alone does not automatically give you a fruitful life on earth. We are called to live according to a higher standard, so that God can use us.

I think God is going to challenge those of us in our study in mighty ways. When we were discussing last night, I mentioned how as girls, we tend to justify and rationalize our way out of things. We were challenged to cut the crap! :) In a loving way, we are going to hold each other to the "standards" we set for ourselves. Just like James is calling out fellow believers to a higher standard of living, we need to call each other out to follow through with our convictions and not help each other rationalize ourselves out of our convictions. It may feel like tough love, but in the long run, we will be helping each other to grow in their faith.

Have you ever had someone give you a gut check that might have felt harsh at the time, but turned out to be EXACTLY what you needed to hear? I would love to hear about it.