1,000,000 Chapters – Part 3 Sample

Have you ever come across something that boasted fantastic results? Maybe it had a tone like run faster, jump higher… Maybe you’ve seen ads for a product that boasted better results than its competitors. Do you remember Billy Mays and his famous info-mercials? His passion and energy sold a product that boasted the best whitening power on the market. Regardless of the merits of any one product, we have all at one point or another been disappointed by a sales pitch. When advertisements don’t live up to the hype we can end up feeling as though it’s a counterfeit.
 

Unfortunately Christians have had this same stigma.  It’s easy to speak well of God’s goodness, that Jesus is the way, or that God’s word is our refuge, especially when times are good. If we aren’t careful we can ride the waves of good vibes, and Sunday highs throughout the week. Instead, James challenges us to break out the magnifying glass to examine our lives for areas that we are still in need to surrender to God. James uses brief, clean, and yet weighty challenges for us to take on. Faith is never about checking boxes, or simply good deeds. Yet there is balance when James reminds us that genuine faith produces good deeds. From a heart of gratitude we serve others. We tame the tongue not because we need to be polite, or because we are held to an legalistic ideal of faith, but instead we seek to use our words to build the kingdom and not to be a burden to it. In all of this we are reminded that Jesus is the example to follow. This book will very much at times feel like a how-to for new Christians, but it also functions as a way to measure our love for God. We don’t follow God’s commands in order that he loves us, we follow him in order to demonstrate our love for him.
 

So buckle up for this intensive measurement of your faith. If you feel uncomfortable, lean in. If you feel convicted, ask God to help you. If you feel guilty, remember that this may be the enemy trying to discourage you. In all things there is nothing we can do to make God love us any more, and nothing we can do to make God love us any less. Let the Spirit be your guide as you take to heart what James calls us to in this book.