Sunday Reading: James 5 19-20
Key Verse: James 5 20
20 know that he who turns back the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Key Verse: James 5 20
20 know that he who turns back the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Devotion:
If anyone is bold enough to say that they are without error, then they are misleading themselves before anyone else. No wise or holy man can say that they are without error or and they certainly cannot refuse to acknowledge anybody when an error is exposed. We do tend to build up bad principles upon our mistakes – when we think we are correct in something, we continue thinking so until someone is bold enough to point out our mistake. At that stage we need to admit to the underlying mistake or sin and change our ways or principles.
If anyone is bold enough to say that they are without error, then they are misleading themselves before anyone else. No wise or holy man can say that they are without error or and they certainly cannot refuse to acknowledge anybody when an error is exposed. We do tend to build up bad principles upon our mistakes – when we think we are correct in something, we continue thinking so until someone is bold enough to point out our mistake. At that stage we need to admit to the underlying mistake or sin and change our ways or principles.
Being a Christian is not just about changing from following your own ideas (or someone else's) to changing to following God's ideas. Being a Christian is about changing your way of looking at things and admitting to your faults. There is no way we can ever hide sin; so the only way of ridding ourselves from it is to expose it to Christ. Once we do that and we turn our backs on that sin, we are then heading in the right direction! Most of the time we will see our own mistakes but we will try to cover them up. It is only when someone else points them out that we start to take notice of it!
Likewise, when we see someone else walking in the path of sin, we need to be bold enough to try and persuade them from walking in that path. Most people will get angry with you if you try and tell them that they are doing things wrong – but most of those people will accept you trying to show them the right way of doing things especially if you are able to tell them that you once did things the way they did. Directing just one soul away from a life without God to a life with God is a most rewarding thing – not only do we rejoice, but the heavenly host does too!
Points to Ponder:
Do you ever think you are doing things right even though everyone else does it differently?
Which way would Christ have done it?
Do you ever think you are doing things right even though everyone else does it differently?
Which way would Christ have done it?