Hey everybody! Quick update: my squad gets to be in Louisiana for not one, but TWO WEEKS! Two whole weeks of service to the community of Lake Charles, LA, praise the Lord! Thank you all for your continued prayer over our squad, we are so richly blessed by your support!
Where do my words come from?
Our squad is doing a “deep dive” Bible study of James; we work our way through the scripture verse by verse, and have in depth discussions as we go. On Friday, James 1:26 struck a chord with me. “If any think they are religious, and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless.”
James says to “bridle my tongue”, but if my tongue is bridled, who is holding the reins? The answer should be Jesus, but I often find myself twisting around, reaching for control of my own reins, and pushing Jesus out of my words entirely. This is so damaging. We, the body of Christ, his church, are responsible for spreading Jesus’ love to the nations. But if I speak the Gospel without Christ in me, am I really doing what’s right?
If I speak out of my own authority, then I say nothing with everything I say. If I choose to partner with the Holy Spirit, and become a vessel for God’s words, then I gain the power to speak truth and life. My religion, my practices, my beliefs are from nothing if they don’t begin at Christ. My word, my faith, my anything becomes my nothing if it isn’t rooted in Jesus.
So who is holding the reins of my heart? I have hope that someday my answer will be a simple, consistent “Jesus”. In this new season, I am learning to surrender my illusion of control to the one who holds my heart. The good news is I have the perfect teacher guiding me through it all! I know that every step of the way, the Lord is holding my hand, and teaching me to release the “reins” of my life, so his will may be done in me.
