March 10, 2002
Attitudes to Change Your Attitude
Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
James 5:13-16
In trouble, prayer; in happiness, sing songs; in sickness anoint with oil in the name of the Lord. Such simple things and yet, do we live them? How many of you have actually been anointed with oil by the elders when you were ill? I often have wondered over this passage, in that we anoint, we pray, we sing and yet the ill person remains ill. Then I see something that at least tells a little of what we are doing wrong. The prayer of a righteous name is powerful and effective. How is one righteous? One must have accepted the gift of salvation in Jesus. However, it does not end there. We are told to confess our sins to each other. Now, why to each other? I believe this is to keep us humble. We must not be puffed up, leading others to believe we are without sin, for there is not one who righteous under his or her on rights. In order for our prayers to be effective, we must stand righteous before the Almighty.
There is a lot to be said for confessing sins to one another. Now, that does not mean to go about telling everyone what you have done wrong and how terrible you are. However, one should have at least one person who can be trusted to keep things in confidence and in whom you share all those hidden things. This person does not have to be a priest. After all, according to Revelation 1, we are all priests in Christ. This person just needs to have the spiritual maturity to handle what you tell and to help you overcome the pitfalls of life on this earth.
Father, help me learn to be accountable for my words and my actions. Lord, in Jesus name we must learn to be righteous before we pray expecting results. Lord, I fail you so badly. Forgive me my shortcomings. In Jesus name, you teach us when and how to anoint, when and how to pray and what you long to hear us sing. Father, fill us with the Holy Spirit in such a manner as we have never before experienced. Lord, in Jesus name, you teach us to hold in confidence what is told in confidence. Help us learn to disciple one another, in Jesus name, amen.
All rights reserved: Amy Seelbach
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