I am deep into a study on James and l-o-v-i-n-g it. For years, James has probably been my favorite book in the Bible. I just seem to keep coming back to it. Maybe it's because it seems so practical. There is a lot challenge in those verses that are relevant to my daily life. However, as I read through the book, there are a lot of moments that require a
"gulp" as I realize that I fall woefully short.

But then there is verse 6 of chapter 4. "But He gives greater grace..." Absolutely everything else hinges on this. It reminds me that even my faith is not created, sustained, or grown by my own efforts. I do not have to run when I fail because He gives greater grace. I will never need more of Him then there is because He is infinite. I will never look up and wonder where He is because, even in the dry seasons, He has promised to never leave me. His grace is all I need, and He offers more and more to me - as much as I can receive.

Interestingly, this verse comes right after verses 4 & 5, in which James scolds the church as "adulterous people" who try to walk the fence of following God and loving the world... But He gives greater grace! In my own life, there is a constant pull to love the world. To love self-sufficiency. To stroke my pride with the pats on the back I receive. To say good enough to my parenting and wife-ing. To speak my mind without bothering to evaluate if the truth I feel I've spoken was done in love. But He gives greater grace!

While not a license to not strive toward radiating the character of Christ, "but He gives greater grace" brings me comfort knowing that He has provided all that I will need to be and to do who and what He has called me to.