What Can Save our Souls?

I've been away from blogging for a while because for some reason life has been incredibly busy. I had hoped to be able to post at least three times a week, but haven't come anywhere close. I will be retiring from my job in a few months and so I hope to make it more of a priority to share things that I have discovered in life that can help us be more faithful as Christian men.

Each month I try to focus on a verse that becomes a theme for my thinking and praying. For the month of October I've chosen James 1:21 which says, "Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls."

A few verses later in his book, James tells us that one of the key ingredients of true religion is to remain unspotted from the world. Now be honest. Isn't that a difficult thing? I think we men tend to get stained with filthiness and wickedness. It's tough to keep our thoughts pure. It's tempting to be looking at things we shouldn't be looking at and allowing our minds to be engaged in all sorts of wicked things even when we may look pure and upright on the outside.

This verse is both a challenge and encouragement to me because it tells us lay aside filthiness and wickedness. Paul says in the book of Romans that sin shall not have dominion over us. Therefore we have the ability with the power of the Holy Spirit to lay these things aside. Furthermore, we need to receive the meekness the Word of God implanted in our souls. We need to read, memorize and meditate on it because out of His Word flows eternal life. Think about that last line in the verse. It is able to save our souls! Many people are looking for "the answer" to life's meaning. It's not that complicated really. The Word of God, implanted in our souls has the power to save us.

So let's lay aside all of the junk we've been thinking about or involving ourselves in and take in the only real solution that is available to us -- God's Word.