Time to Get Serious With God

“Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.” (James 4:9)

While there are those who think Christians are never to smile, laugh or enjoy life, there are others who believe Christianity is all fun and games. Many churches today are majoring on the entertainment factor. They never take their faith seriously.

King David came before God with a broken and a contrite heart over his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband. He knew his life was out of the will of God. It was time to get serious with God. (Psalm 51)

The Jews wept when they remembered that their sins and rebellion toward God had resulted in their captivity to the Babylonians. They hung their harps on the willows and could not sing the songs of Zion. Their music had been silenced. (Psalm 137:1-6)

We need to be serious about our commitment to the Lord, about our repentance, about the death of God’s Son, the Lord Jesus Christ for our sins. And yes, we should rejoice over His resurrection and the fact that we are saved, our sins are forgiven and we are going to heaven. But, if you are living outside the will of God as recorded in the Bible, you need to heed James’ counsel found in our text.