Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. James 4:10

 Mud riding is a popular thing in Georgia. People who own a four-wheel truck or off-road vehicle will do all they can to find a mudhole and ride through it. In my career as a park ranger, I’d occasionally come across someone taking part in this activity on public land (which is illegal) or be stuck in the mud. Besides a hefty fine, they also had an expensive towing fee to pay. What seemed like a lot of fun at the moment, ended up costing a lot of money, and sometimes damage to their vehicle.

 As humans, we are prone to sin, it’s in our fleshly nature to sin. Those sinful things appear pleasurable and our minds can become addicted to it so much so that it becomes part of our life. But there is a downside to sin, it causes division between us and God, it can destroy your reputation, it hurts yourself and others impacted by wrong actions and the biggest impact from sin is a heaviness of guilt, shame, and regret. God condemns sin and requires His followers to repent and turn from it.

 When I kept silent, my bones grew old, through my groaning all day long. Psalm 32:3

 When you live with unconfessed sin, you carry a burden that can only be released by seeking God’s forgiveness. When you do, the weight of sin is eased and your heart, mind, and soul find peace once again with God and that open line of blessings resumes. As today’s verse in James 4:10 says, humble yourselves in sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. At some point, you’ll realize those sinful pleasures aren’t worth it and following in obedience to Christ is a much smoother path. Obedience doesn’t restrict you from enjoying life, it simply provides you a life of joy, peace, and fulfills God’s best plan for you.

 Humble yourselves under the will of God and find a lasting joy that only He can provide! Blessings!