Submit Yourselves to God
4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 You adulterous people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us[b]? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands,you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Girls, there is so much meat in these verses! Please, grab a cup of tea/coffee and carve out 15 minutes to meditate on these verses, it will be worth replacing your Pinterest free time today :-). This entry got a little long, so forgive me for the length- I just couldn't stop myself!
When I read Chapter 4, specifically verse 3, I was hit with conviction. If I may be transparent with you all, I fought my sinful self this very evening. My fabulous mother in law is visiting and encouraged my husband and I to go out after dinner. My husband has some prep work to do for an upcoming men's retreat he is attending and this is my only opportunity this week to spend time working on this blog entry. But, instead of yearning to be sitting here digging into God's word, I suggested we go to Target and stroll through the toy aisles (one of my husband's favorite things to do :-)) where I saw lots of clearance tags on an earlier visit. Thankfully, my husband has more self discipline than me and he drove us to Barnes and Noble where I agreed that was the better place to spend our free time.
I share this story not to say that strolling toy aisles is bad- it is not- but that many times my motives are misguided. My prayer to God to bless me with extra time may be rooted in my desire to squander it on self pleasures like Target. :-) This segment of scripture has commanded my attention. I need a full selfishness shower from these raw, sinful thoughts.
I think these verses will cause us to pause and reflect on whom and what we serve on a daily basis. Let's take a look at the wisdom God has for us starting in verses 1-3...
4 What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
How often have you asked for God to bless you with something, but with the wrong motives? It seems we ask for things and assume that our motives are just, but then as we peal back the layers of the request we recognize that we want to be blessed because we are coveting something and want to spend the blessing on our own pleasures, not on what the Lord desires of our blessing. Those motives rooted in selfish desire create discord and disagreements, etc. as described in verse 2.
For example, think for a minute about the news stories we view of people that are having money troubles that lead to divorce, broken relationships with business partners/friends, and general destruction of their lives because of the desperation of greed. This greed lies in the world, not in communion with our Lord. When you really examine the bedrock of the arguments witnessed around you, they are born out of sin. Matthew 6:24 clearly states that 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." With the aforementioned example, if this person cried out to God to bless him, only to go and spend the money on his continued self absorbed pleasures- Do you think that God would bless him? This story portrays a person serving the world, money, or himself, not God.
Verse 3 states that when asked, God does not bless because selfish motives were the intention of the blessing. God most certainly does answer prayer and will give to us what we ask. Take for example, 1 John 3:22, "...receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him." And in 1 John 5:14, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us." And lastly, in verse 7, "7 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened." It is important to note that in each of these verses it does not say, "ask for anything your sinful heart desires, even if it is not according to my purpose", etc. There is a qualifier in each verse, "you do not receive because you have wrong motives," "receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him", and "we ask anything according to his will." So, God will always hear us and will give us what we ask under the circumstance of His good and perfect will for our lives.
4 You adulterous people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us[b]? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
I read this segment several times before I really understood what I think James is telling us. "You adulterous people," meaning you people worshiping the world- cheating on God. Romans 8:77 describes this mindset..."7 7 The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so." These cheaters are showing hatred against God because they are basically wearing 1/2 of a "BFF" heart necklace with the world. Those necklace carrying friends are not in communion with Christ as described in 1 John 2:15.- "15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father[a] is not in them." I don't know about you, but I want to have a crystal clear love for Christ, without a glimmer of a World BFF necklace around my neck.
In verse 5 James suggests that "Scripture" consistently has purpose. I studied the word "Scripture" more and was lead to 1 Timothy 16-17, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." After much reading and discussion, I feel that James' reference to the word "Scripture" means whatever was written at the time, perhaps the Old Testament, or other teaching that is and was God-breathed and used for learning, correction, instruction, edification, etc.
Verse 5 goes on to say that God meant what he said when it was written "he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us." The statement was not just said in jest. Our God loves us jealously as further evidenced in Exodus 34:14, "Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." Our God does not tolerate us splitting our servant hood among masters. He commands (for good reason) our full attention and devotion.
I love what John 15:19 says on this topic: "19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." We should not be "besties" with the world, in fact, we should feel like aliens living here temporarily. The world unquestionably does not "love" us as its own. Have you ever felt the "love" from this world? If anything, I feel like when you hand your heart over to this world it sucks you into its volcano like pit and then spits you out at the timing of its pleasing. There is no loving relationship, it is the exact opposite.
Then in verse 6 James says that God gives us "grace"- he gives us unmerited favor. Favor not because of anything we have done, but only what Christ has done on our behalf. In the later part of verse six it says that "God opposes the proud, but gives favor to the humble." Mathew 23:12 further demonstrates God's favor on humility: "For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted." Lastly, Proverbs 3:34 says that "He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed." From the consistency of these verses it is clear that God desires humility from us, not pride.
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Verse 7 is so reassuring to me as a sinner. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."- that is all I have to do, as a believer- take a sin scrub in the tub/resist the devil, and seek God. In doing so, I will no longer be chained to my sin and will ultimately enjoy the freedom that fellowship with God brings.
By seeking Him first with humility, he will carry us to safety. In Job 5:11 it says, "11 The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety." Chapter 4 speaks distinctively about the importance of humility. I read a great quote about humility as I studied these verses..."Humiliation is shame. Humility is meekness, not out of shame, but out of righteousness". Because as as Proverbs 22:4 shares, "By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life." Humility = to be Christlike.
By seeking Him first with humility, he will carry us to safety. In Job 5:11 it says, "11 The lowly he sets on high, and those who mourn are lifted to safety." Chapter 4 speaks distinctively about the importance of humility. I read a great quote about humility as I studied these verses..."Humiliation is shame. Humility is meekness, not out of shame, but out of righteousness". Because as as Proverbs 22:4 shares, "By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honour, and life." Humility = to be Christlike.
11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[d] or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?
With some research I found that the Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a "believer", whether man or woman, as part of God’s family. Verse 11 commands us to not disparage one another. We too often take judgment lightly and shift into judgement gear as if it were part of our job descriptions. The later part of verse 11 was enlightening to me because of the statement "sitting in judgment on it." Have you ever thought of judgment in that way? By judging others and the law, we are in effect not keeping the law and are in fact breaking the law in that very moment ourselves.
Chapter 4 gives so much focus to humility, but verse 12 particularly serves me a silver platter full of humility. There is "ONLY ONE JUDGE"- it is certainly not me. Many of you may be familiar with Matthew 7: 1-6. It is a great illustration of how judgment is pointless and our participation in it is futile. “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." The next time I start to judge a "brother" or "sister" I going to remind myself of these verses and the grace bestowed upon me through Christ.
I hope these verses have been as encouraging and challenging to you as they have been to me. Thanks again for your patience in my timing of posts. :-) Looking forward to studying James 4:13-17 with you next week!
M
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