Howdy! - Pt 5

Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. (James 4:4-9 ESV).

The annual bonfire has been an Aggie tradition since 1909 and lasted 90 years on campus. In my freshman year at A&M we built a stack that measured over 100 feet high. We cut and stacked logs to be lit in preparation of the annual football game with the University of Texas. Bonfire symbolized the Aggies' "burning desire" to beat their rival. It was a singular experience that symbolized our passion for victory. Today the tradition has been altered somewhat. On November 18, 1999, tragedy struck when the stack collapsed at 2:42 a.m. Twelve Aggies were killed and 27 were injured. As a result of that tragedy, the university disbanded the formal activity; however, the tradition continues off campus without formal sanction of the university. I am taken back to a principle found in our reading today. James calls the believer to develop a sense of passionate repentance and consistent behavior centered in the will of God for our lives. He uses the strongest of words. I wonder how passionate we are about our lives. I wonder how strongly we are determined to alter our lifestyle in favor of the pleasure and will of God. It was hard work to hand cut every log. It required incredible organization and team work to transport and stack each log. Remember, these were logs ranging in size from 15 to 20 feet long. Some of them were as much as two feet in diameter! It was a formidable task. Yet, together we did it. The lesson translates to our behavior today. We must desire such a change in our lives. We must pursue a sanctified life with the same fervor we would any good thing. The Apostle Paul talked about how he trained for the race of life. He uses words describing intense effort and sacrifice. That is the calling to all of us. Like a blazing fire we ought to seek out those things that prevent us from being centered in God’s will and exercise passion concerning God’s will for our lives.