December 21

Read: James 1:5-8

A double minded man is unstable in all his ways (James 1:8).

Beyond Halfway Religion

“Half a loaf is better than no bread.” Some religion is better than none, but halfway religion is not very satisfying. Plato described human life as a charioteer with a team of horses. One horse was white and always kept pulling upward toward goodness and God. The other was black and took every opportunity to pull downward toward evil. Always the charioteer had to be alert to keep the dark horse from setting the course and wrecking the chariot.

Plato did not know Christian theology but he had a clear insight into man’s fallen nature. In our text James describes the tragedy of the divided soul: “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.” Elsewhere he tells us, “My brethren, these things ought not so to be” (3:10). Jesus puts the impending tragedy of this division of the soul into its sharpest focus: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matthew 12:25).

Madame Guyon testifies to the inward unhappiness of the Christian whose heart is divided — the Christian who loves God but loves Him less than wholeheartedly: “Divine love gently drew me inward, and vanity dragged me outward. My heart was rent asunder by the contest, as I neither gave myself wholly up to the one nor the other. I besought my God… and cried, ‘Art Thou not strong enough wholly to eradicate this unjust duplicity out of my heat?'”

Philip Doddridge found the answer to that brokenhearted prayer and wrote “O Happy Day”!

Now rest, my long divided heart; Fixed on this blissful Center, rest; Nor ever from my Lord depart, With Him of ev’ry good possessed.