I love the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. I always have.

I grew up in a small town in a small church. My parents attended there before I was born. Though they were young, they were very active in the church. We attended every week, and we loved being part of the church. Our Sunday nights usually consisted of meeting with church friends after worship for a time of fellowship. It was always a joy and never a chore.

But it wasn’t always easy. Small towns and small churches often have relational difficulties. Though I saw those difficulties, we never discussed leaving the church or simply dropping out.

My parents showed me how to love the church in spite of its blemishes.

Maybe that’s the reason I have an intense desire to see the church do well. I saw what it meant to me. Revivals, VBS, and week by week worship and Bible study with the family of God fed my soul.

What can we do to bless the church and to bless the family of God?

Based on the letter of the apostle James, we can bless the church when we seek God with all our heart and desire to live for Him.

James called on the church to draw near to God. He promised that in response God would draw near to them.

He encouraged those early believers to resist the devil, turn from sin, and humble themselves.

James emphasized humility. In biblical terms, humility describes our understanding of who God is and our understanding of who we are. Humility shows that we know that God is the Lord of the universe and that we are His humble servants.

James reminded us from Proverbs that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.

You can bless the church by humbling yourself before God, seeking to remove your sinful desires and appetites, and drawing near to God with a heart hungry to know Him and to follow Him.

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