Word for the day "Inventory Time"

James 1:6 (NIV) But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.At times we are angry at lost people for sinning. Yet we are saved and we’re a bunch of train wrecks, but we get mad at the world for doing lost stuff. At least that’s the message they’re hearing. We have to get today’s message right family!The average lost person makes it clear that we who are saved come off pompous. Now, I realize that some of their reactions come from either conviction or dislike of the truth, but we somehow have to connect with the folks who have the wrong image of God’s people and God’s love. It’s apparent some truth made it out to the world, but love didn’t always go with it.I believe Love earns the right to speak truth. And truth proves that we really love, that’s why we have to speak truth in love. And this message applies more to us than to others. There are times we just have to recognize our shortfalls and correct them for the good of all involved.If all you are is truth, you are imposing rules and standards and unreachable goals. If all you are is love, you’re giving everything a pass; love wins and everybody is going to be fine. We honor God when we strike a balance between the two. Instead of being dually minded to include both grace and truth, we often prove we probably are what James calls double-minded (James 1:8). It goes something like this:When I fail, I pray for mercy. When you fail me, I deliver law. I’m all about grace when I fail. I’m all about law when you fail me. My double-minded ways - the way I see me when I fail and the way I see the world when it fails - don’t stop with others. I’m also that way with God.If someone fails me, I want to sit them down and show them charts and graphs. I want them to see that they failed, and I want them to admit that they failed. When I fail? Different story: “Well, God, you know my situation. You know all that stuff from my childhood causes me to think this way.” I maintain an extensive list of excuses. My double mindedness demands mercy from God while I deal justice to the world.Point to ponder- It’s time to take inventory of the message we carry and how we share it with others!In His Love,Pastor James Baker