26—Forty Days with James: Humble Yourself in the Sight of the Lord

For additional notes and resources check out Douglas’ website.James 4:9-10  We can’t be merely academic or ethereal about our sin. An emotional response to God’s Word and God’s holiness is in order."Blessed are those who mourn" (Matt 5:4)—is a passage often interpreted in the early church as mourning for one’s sins.Mourning and wailing are signs of repentance, not substitutes for it.“And he will lift you up….”Similar passages: Job 5:11; 22:29; Ps 149:4; Prov 29:25; Ezek 17:24; 21:31; Luke 18:14; 1 Pet 5:6PrayerI confess my iniquity; I am troubled by my sin. – Psalm 38:18Prayer makes godly persons, and puts within them the mind of Christ, the mind of humility, of self-surrender, of service, of pity, and of prayer. If we really pray, we will become more like God, or else we will quit praying. – E.M. Bounds (1835-1913)The neglected heart will soon be a heart overrun with worldly thoughts; the neglected life will soon become a moral chaos; the church that is not jealously protected by mighty intercession and sacrificial labors will before long become the abode of every evil bird and the hiding place for unsuspected corruption. The creeping wilderness will soon take over that church that trusts in its own strength and forgets to watch and pray. – A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)The Litany of Humility (included in Amen. Collected Prayers and Hymns for the Journey, 2022)NEXT: Only One Judge