Morning Devotional 121125 By God's Grace . . .

Liz’s Morning Devotional: Scripture selected from Upper Room

December 11, 2025 

James 4:6-10

6 But he gives us more grace. This is why it says, God stands against the proud, but favors the humble. 7 Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will run away from you. 8 Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Cry out in sorrow, mourn, and weep! Let your laughter become mourning, and your joy become sadness. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Good Morning! By God’s grace, we are saved!

Submitting ourselves to God is hard. I can’t count the number of times I have turned over a worry or challenge to God, only to retake ownership of it. The more angst a situation stirs inside me, the harder it is to let it go. It is logical that I would want to rid myself of these things, but it's almost like a badge of honor to endure them. 

Oh, we silly children of God. We walk a fine line between earthly and heavenly desires, setting ourselves up to fall into the sinfulness of evil that constantly tugs at us. 

By God’s amazing grace, despite our sinfulness, we are invited to come and follow Jesus on the path of righteousness as we stumble toward our eternal salvation. Jesus tells us to let go of our burdens and allow God’s love to fill the huge void they leave, so that we may live a life pleasing to God.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Lord, you bless us abundantly! Help us, O Lord, to let go of our need to be in control of things that should be left to You. We love you, Lord! In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen

Thought for the day: God’s love purifies our hearts.

Let go and be blessed! Pastor Liz