872 Guilty of All - James 2:10

Does God grade us on a curve? James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. (ESV) Don't you wish we had a curve? James tells us there is no margin for error. If we keep the whole law but stumble in one thing, we're guilty of all. The bar for living our faith is very high. If we fail in one point, we failed in all. Romans 3:23 says, "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." We all fall short. I think James is reminding us of this point here for a reason. We can get tempted to think we're "OK." We can get tempted to think we are better than the next person. The challenge for us today is to never give up. Remember there is always more we can do. Often, we think doing what Jesus wants us to do is work. We think if we do what Jesus wants, we can't do our job, or we can't do what we want. But what Jesus came that we might have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10) What Jesus wants us to do seems like work, but we know when we do it we find joy. Don't let your flesh talk you out of listening to Jesus. Every place we come up short is a place where we miss out. Your next dreaded situation at work could be the place where you see Jesus do a miracle. Let's remember every compromise or every transgression is a place where we fail. We can make great choices, which we'll talk about in the next episode. Let's do them one at a time. I hope these podcasts challenge you. Please let us know what you think. Send a note to [email protected] and tell us what you'd like us to talk about. Our goal is to help you integrate your faith and work. Begin by asking Jesus and he will guide you. Remember, what you do because you follow Jesus matters. Thanks!