Sorry, No Returns

A few weeks ago, I began a journey memorizing three Bible verses for Memory Verse Monday. I originally wanted to find a verse that talked about drawing near to God. “What a treasure!” I thought when I discovered James 4:8. It looked like a beautiful emerald to me. The first half of James 4:8 says, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

Drawing near to God was so appealing to me that I decided it would be good to memorize James 4:6 one week, James 4:7 the next week, and James 4:8 the last week to learn how. James 4:6 glistened like a ruby and James 4:7 sparkled like a diamond - precious jewels indeed.

However, by the middle of last week I was ready to give my emerald back.

There is a second half to James 4:8. “Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded.”

At first, I thought “no sweat, that’s not a problem.” In my excitement, I thought I would compare cleansing our hands from sin with how necessary it is to wash our hands with soap to help get rid of germs that can cause sickness. But as the week progressed, I found out God was going to get much more thorough in His washing procedure. Let’s just say I needed a good scrubbing.

Sometimes stains can be stubborn. Not too long ago I opened my electric clothes dryer and gasped. “What happened?” I pulled out a light blue shirt and discovered dark blue blotches all over it. Not only was the shirt ruined, but the inside drum of the dryer was covered in ink. A pen had exploded. What a mess!

Through a particular article a friend had written, God showed me that I have some big blue blotches in an area of my life that has to do with my spending habits. This wasn’t the first time that God had convicted me in this area, but this time He was telling me to do something about it. I was so disturbed with this discovery, I felt like tossing that “emerald” back into the treasure box and closing the lid. “Do I need this extra stress? I LIKE what I’m doing. I like shopping. I like…”

I felt the Holy Spirit’s gentle nudging. “Susan, didn’t you say you wanted to draw near to me? Now let me clean up this mess in your life. Let me help you take the next step.”

“But Lord, I take great pleasure in my shopping trips. I love…”

God’s voice wasn’t audible, but I felt Him drawing close. “Take pleasure in Me.”

My jaw nearly dropped to the ground. “I do Lord. I take pleasure in You.”

The Holy Spirit’s voice was smooth and clear - like cleansing water. “Find your pleasure in Me.”

My eyes filled with tears. “Okay Lord.” I didn’t know what else to say. I knew I needed to submit to the Lord. He impressed on me that He is the source of true and lasting pleasure.

The Lord speaks to us through the Bible but He will also use friends who are obeying His voice and reading His Word. James 4:8 is an emerald indeed, one I want to keep. And wise friends - praying friends who are not afraid to speak the truth in love are another one of God’s special treasures.

Live the adventure,
Susan