Stay
Tuned in to Jesus
James 1:5-8
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God,
who gives generously to all without finding
fault, and it will be given to him. But when he
asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he
who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and
tossed by the wind. That man should not think he
will receive anything from the Lord; he is a
double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
Have you ever thought about what it means to be double-minded? One
definition might be a person that lacks faith.
But it also means to have one's loyalty divided.
One part of the person says he wants to follow
Jesus. But the other part of him won't give up
the world in order to do so.
The story of the rich young ruler in Matthew 19 is
a perfect example of a double-minded person:
Please read Matthew 19:16-24
It was
not this young man's wealth that was the
problem. it was this young man's unwillingness
to put his wealth second to Jesus that kept him
from being saved. It's pretty easy to be
double-minded. There are a lot of distractions -
or there can be.
Combating loneliness can lead a
single person to the singles bars. (Now there's
a great place to find a Christ-centered
relationship, isn't it?) Desire for things can
focus our minds on our jobs and making money
instead of serving Him. Desire for popularity
can keep us from standing up for Jesus for fear
of losing friends.
There
are any number of things that can make us shift
our focus to the world and away from Jesus.
After all, the world is right here, where we can
touch it, hear it, feel it, smell it. It's a lot
noisier, more demanding of our attention. And
much more enticing. And it follows, if we're
more focused on the world than on our Lord, when
we do pray, we are going to doubt. If we aren't
abiding in the Lord - staying tuned in to Him 24
hours a day - we aren't going to have developed
the faith we need to believe in the answer to
our prayers being given.
I
know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that if I make
decisions on my own, without asking the Lord's
help, they're usually going to be stupid
decisions. I've proven it to myself time and
again. But when I'm walking with the Lord on a
daily basis, seeking His face continually, and
asking for wisdom in my decisions, they are
always right; they are always wise.
Take
the step to learn and to live by faith and
determine never to be double-minded again,
either in your faith or in your focus. Stay
tuned in to Jesus 24 hours a day.
In His
love,
