{"id":11505,"date":"2023-11-25T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-25T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/?p=11505"},"modified":"2023-11-24T10:54:39","modified_gmt":"2023-11-24T17:54:39","slug":"if-only-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/?p=11505","title":{"rendered":"If Only &#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>If Only It Were So Simple!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Saturday, November 25, 2023<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"512\" height=\"288\" src=\"https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/25.PS20231016_001432508.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11507\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/25.PS20231016_001432508.jpg 512w, https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/25.PS20231016_001432508-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 512px) 85vw, 512px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Thinking We Can Make Things Beautiful On Our Own,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Ruins All Our Efforts<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Exodus 24:7<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Then he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, \u2018All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>James 1:22<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Words of Grace For Today<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, we will do it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We will be obedient!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">(until we are not, of course, which is always bound to happen, since it is built into us humans to explore, push the limits, and rebel against authority.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oh, if James were anything other than a straw gospel, one that is blown away by even the slightest wind of adversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then we could not just be hearers but doers as well of the Gospel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">life is much more complicated than that,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">and so much more interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We not only need to listen and hear and attempt to do, we need to start by confessing that we cannot on our own follow Jesus\u2019 way of self-sacrificial love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We need to beg for help from the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, also this day,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">we wish to be followers of Jesus, doers of God\u2019s Grace, obedient servants of God Will,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">but since we know we cannot ever,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">we confess our sins,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">trust we are forgiven,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">and move into the day<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">knowing we are fully dependent on God to do anything good or worthwhile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just beggars, we are,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">just beggars,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">by Grace alone, saintly beggars.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If Only It Were So Simple! Saturday, November 25, 2023 Thinking We Can Make Things Beautiful On Our Own, Ruins All Our Efforts Exodus 24:7 Then he took the book of the covenant, and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, \u2018All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/?p=11505\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;If Only &#8230;&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,18,98,34,71,47],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fall","category-grace","category-roadways","category-sacramental-mystic","category-sunset","category-trees"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11505"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11508,"href":"https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11505\/revisions\/11508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mysticphoto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}