Wednesday, May 27, 2009

faith, works and all that jazz

Our ladies Bible study is set to tackle the book of James starting tomorrow. I've spent the past few weeks in my devotions reading and re-reading the letter in order to be ready to actually speak up in our weekly sessions (if my innate shyness doesn't paralyze me...).

I feel like all my current struggles pop up in the this letter: controlling the tongue, anger, favoritism, being double-minded. And then there's the biggie, the one James is so well-known for: the issue of faith without works.

It leaves me asking what do I do for the Lord? I have a degree in Christian studies/theology, but I have a desk job. I spend most of my day getting aggravated with the piles of work, the emails constantly popping up, and all the other pleasures of living in a cubicle eight hours a day (nine if you count the fact that I normally eat lunch at my desk). It's hard to think what can I do for Christ under the pressure of time lines and answering status requests. And when the pressure gets to much, I reduce myself to whining, grumbling and venting to anyone within earshot, hardly the picture of a quiet and gentle spirit.

But the busyness of life isn't an excuse. Jesus called, and Peter dropped his nets and followed. I wish I could have even half of that kind of faith.

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