Drawing
Near to God
Part 4: Grieve and Mourn and Wail
Today's Three-minute Bible Study
Print, Study and Apply
Title:
Grieve and Mourn and Wail----------------- Date: 10/14/1999
Keywords: "grieve" "mourn" "wail"
Welcome to eXXit, the web site designed to help you stand
strong in the face of sexual temptation.
This is part four in a five part study on
drawing near to God. James gives us insight on practical ways we can move closer to God,
the source of our strength.
Passage: James 4:7-10*
7. Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will
flee from you.
8. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands,
you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
9. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your
joy to gloom.
10. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Questions
1. Looking at verse 9, what should we grieve, mourn and wail about?
2. Why turn laughter to mourning and joy to gloom?
Practical help
God, by his grace through Jesus Christ has brought you back into his
presence. If you're not sure you're in God's presence, click here
to find out how you can be.
Yet even while you're in his presence you can choose how close you
want to be to him. If your choices lately have been putting a lot of distance between you
and God then take a note from James -- God wants you to be near and here's one way:
Grieve, mourn and wail.
Sounds a little dramatic. So, how does grieving, mourning and
wailing draw you closer to God?
It really depends on what's moving you to grieve. If you're grieving
because you feel like the victim then you're still hanging out on the fringe holding on to
a life of denial.
If you're grieving because you don't like what you've been doing
(like seeking the counterfeit joy of Web porn) and you're realizing how it hurts God and
yourself, then congratulations -- you're drawing nearer to the one who has truly forgiven
you.
Don't be afraid to show God how sorry you are. Cry to him! Run to
him! He wants you closer!
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*Scriptures are from The Holy Bible: New International Version © Copyright 1973,
1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. All rights reserved.