DRAWING NEAR
June 16
Taking Spiritual Inventory
"This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and
Father . . . to keep oneself unstained by the world" (James
1:27).
Keeping yourself unstained by the world is an important test of your
spiritual condition. The apostle John said, "Do not love the world,
nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of
the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). At first glance that might
sound contradictory since God Himself so loved the world that He gave
His Son to die for it (John 3:16). But John 3:16 refers to the
inhabited earth--the people for whom Christ died. First John 2:15
refers to the evil world system in which we live, which includes the
life-styles, philosophies, morality, and ethics of our sinful
culture. That world and everything it produces is passing away (1
John 2:16-17).
James 4:4 says, "You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship
with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to
be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God." Those are
strong words but compromise is intolerable to God. You can't be His
friend and a friend of the world at the same time!
Separation from the world is the final element of true religion
mentioned in James chapter one. Before progressing to chapter two,
take a final spiritual inventory based on the checklist provided in
verses 26-27: (1) Do you control your tongue? Review the quality of
your conversation often. What does it reveal about the condition of
your heart? Are there speech habits you need to change? (2) Do you
demonstrate love for others? Do you have a sincere desire to help
those in need? When you do help, are your motives pure, or are you
simply trying to sooth your conscience or make others think more
highly of you? (3) Do you remain unstained by the world? What is your
attitude toward the world? Do you want to win it for Christ and
remain unstained by its evil influences, or do you want to get as
much out of it as you possibly can?
Suggestions for Prayer:
If your spiritual inventory reveals any sinful motives or practices,
confess them and begin to change today.
For Further Study:
Reread James 1:19-27, reviewing the principles you've learned from
those verses.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
1 John 2:15-17
15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves
the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
16 For all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, the lust of
the eyes, and the pride of life; is not of the Father but is of the
world.
17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who
does the will of God abides forever.
James 1:19-27
19 So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear,
slow to speak, slow to wrath;
20 for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness,
and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save
your souls.
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving
yourselves.
23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like
a man observing his natural face in a mirror;
24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what
kind of man he was.
25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in
it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one
will be blessed in what he does.
26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle
his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is
useless.
27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to
visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself
unspotted from the world.
~~~
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www2.oneplace.com/Ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
http://www.gty.org/Gospel
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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