Excavating Before You Can Build Up Something

What’s up Beautiful,

The book of James tells us that our bad conduct does not produce the righteousness of God. But how do we work on our conduct. Many people just say, “I will change. I will be a better Christian. I will become more righteous. Or, I will start doing good deeds and treat people better.” But I don’t think that it is that simple. I don’t think that this happens overnight. To just start doing… something.

Think of it like this. Construction workers don’t just build a building. They just don’t even lay a foundation first. The first step, even before the foundation is laid (which the Bible speaks on having a good foundation) is for the ground to be excavated.

Excavation is the process of, and please note that this is a PROCESS and does not happen overnight, but the process of digging deep into the ground and removing rocks including old objects. (And let’s face it, many of us have old objects) But rather, heavy equipment like tractors and sometimes even cranes are needed to lift boulders, drills to break up heavy rocks, and shovels to dig out the old. Excavation exposes the inner part of the earth (our souls/ minds/inner thoughts), it lays bare (but God can put a tree there to bear fruit) , and excavation can leave a hole (But God can fill that hole).

So to build any size building, from a small shop like Starbucks to the World Trade Towers; to build up anything from your business, career, marriage, friendships, your walk with God, or even being a better Christian, we have to do some deep digging. The book of James teaches us that yielding to temptation is sin but we have to have the inner will and go deep within ourselves to resist the wiles of the devil. But in order to display righteousness and not yield to temptation, we have to have remove those things such as friends, bad habits, or addictions that cause us to yield and that takes time and the process of removing things deep within us. And that is not easy but takes time and may be a process.

Just my thoughts after Wednesday night Bible study from the book of James. Let me know what you think.

Be blessed!!!