In his book, Beyond Personality, C. S. Lewis explains what it takes to become what God originally intended for us to be all along, like Him. “Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you’ll save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fiber of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep nothing back. Nothing you have not given away will ever be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay in the long run. But look for Christ, and you will find Him, and with Him, everything else will be thrown in.”

What does it mean to be a ‘follower of Jesus Christ? What does spiritual maturity look like? Interestingly, James uses the term ‘religious,’ as it is only used five times in the entire New Testament, and James uses it twice, both of which are found here in chapter one. Religion is best understood as the outward expression of our faith. How does the inward transformation of grace work itself out into our daily lives? Are we doing God’s will or our own will? Jesus warns us that there will be people who think that they are saved but are not.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and, in your name, perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ (Matthew 7:21-23)

Paul challenges us to examine ourselves to determine if we are truly in the faith. “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless you fail the test?” 2 Corinthians 13:5

Warren Wiersbe points out: “There are true believers who are fooling themselves concerning their Christian walk. They think they are spiritual when they are not. It is a mark of maturity when a person faces himself honestly, knows himself, and admits his needs.”

James gives us three criteria to measure the reality of our faith. He asks: Do we have pure religion, or are we living a life of self-deception?

DEEP INTO THE GARDEN where suffering, emotions and presence collide Matthew 26:36:45 We now enter the climax of Jesus’ story—Matthew 26:36—45— the moment just before the cross, where the Son of God faces His greatest test: surrendering fully to the Father’s will. In the Garden of Gethsemane, we witness Jesus in deep emotional anguish, wrestling with the weight of what is to come. His suffering reveals something profoundly human—and profoundly holy.

Jesus experienced suffering, just as we will encounter suffering as we follow Him. Like Him, we need to surrender continually to the will of the Father. But Jesus’ deepest agony was not physical—it was the looming loss of the Father’s presence on the cross. That’s what tore at Him most. Do we cling to God like that? Is His presence our greatest treasure, even in the garden moments of our own lives?

Through His suffering, we gain insight into our own journey with God—a journey that includes both joy and sorrow, peace and struggle. Jesus didn’t hide His emotions; He embraced them, teaching us that our feelings—good or bad—can be places of connection with God rather than barriers. We serve a God who made us emotional beings on purpose.

Jesus also shows us we’re not meant to walk through pain alone. Even in His darkest hour, He brought friends close, seeking their nearness, even when they couldn’t fully understand. In our hardest moments, who are we bringing with us? Sometimes we don’t need answers—we need presence.

ASK YOURSELF ONE OR ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS, AND SHARE YOUR ANSWER WITH SOMEONE IN YOUR CIRCLE:

Are you willing to walk in the garden, suffer, and surrender to God as Jesus did?

Are there emotions you need to accept and address instead of controlling, coping, or concealing? Can you list these emotions?

In your times of trial, do you have others that you bring close to bear your burdens with you? Are you needing to be the presence to someone else in their time of need?