Truly thoughtful...

"God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."- James 4:6

Contrary to popular belief, it's not easy being a Christian. God does not love us more; prayer is not a direct line to "Gods'I'Am" from which we receive everything for which we ask. It may even be that we suffer to learn to rely more on Him. I would argue we suffer to become personable, humble, maybe even believable.You WILL without question encounter Christians who chastise and judge in His name. There are those who slash with the sword which was never ours to wield. To them I would like to say, I used to be one of you.

This verse from James chapter four, "Submit yourselves to God" makes me curious. It quotes Proverbs 3:34 which says, "He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble." 1 Peter 5:5, "Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'" This bit of Peter speaks directly to church leaders and has roots in the memory of Jesus washing feet in the Gospel of John.

My understanding of James is less that God will favor the humble over the proud (although it is often stated that this is the case), rather God will place obstacles in the way of the proud until they are humbled. That's where the grace comes in. Life gets a great deal easier when we stop operating under the notion that perfection is the inevitable conclusion of "true" faith. Good luck with becoming Jesus Christ. True faith must be more like accepting short comings not only in ourselves but others and LOVING until it hurts. Forgiving until 7 times 70 is long in the past. For the longest time I was up on a high horse, sure of my righteousness, and about as judgmental as the day is long. Certainly, since that time, I have undergone my "great humbling". As Christians we should expect this humbling, wait for it, pray for it, pray in it, pray about it, and learn from it.

Romans 5:3-5
"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

I give to you the words of James himself with regards to hypocrisy and the need for grace not only from the Lord but one another as well.

James 4:11-12
"Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgement on it. There is only one Law-giver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you - who are you to judge your neighbor?"

All of this is to say, I struggle with understanding a balance between giving grace and being tolerant to the point of permissive. We are told to "speak the truth in love", "hate the sin, love the sinner". Where do we draw the line? When is harshness a necessity? What distinguishes between judgment and throwing manners aside because in the end, this is a soul we're talking about!?

I offer this as a personal testimony, an insight, and a question. Thank you, friends.