James 4:1-8a

COMMENTS

As I go through the Book of James, I continue to be amazed at how chapters and subjects are connected.  Why have I never seen that before?  What I always thought were random “life instructions” thrown together are, actually, expansions on previous lessons.

NOTES

Yesterday, one thing we talked about was how earthly wisdom brings about envy and selfish ambition.  In today’s passage, James expands on that, showing some of its repercussions.  His introductory sentence in Chapter 4 asks, “What causes fights and quarrels among you?”  His answer follows:

“Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?  You want something but don’t get it.  You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight….”  (James 4:1b-2a)

The answer:  we fight because we follow earthly wisdom instead of heavenly wisdom.  When what’s most important to me is myself and my desires, I fight and quarrel with others, who are often seeking their own desires. 

I am, then, reminded that, in those circumstances, I can ask God for anything; but often, I do not even bother to ask.  And when I do ask, my motives are all wrong.  I don’t ask in order to find out His will, but I ask for my own benefit—to get what I wanted all along (James 4:2b-3).  How often have I prayed that God will change the circumstances or the person so that my life is more like I want it to be?

What happens to those fights when everyone involved is simply seeking God’s will?  Most of the time, they don’t happen.  At times, we may still disagree; but the disagreements are handled with maturity as the Holy Spirit “moderates” the discussion.  We can disagree without fighting.

Next, James reminds us of the oppositional relationship between God and Satan (discussed in the last blog):

“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?  Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”  (James 4:4)

What, then, is the solution?  Heavenly wisdom:

“Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and He will come near to you.” 

(James 4:7-8a)

My God is a loving, forgiving God who longs for relationship with me.  He wants the best for me and knows that I can only have that when I stop following my own wisdom and follow His, instead.  When I look back, my life gives evidence to the fact that I am most content (even in the midst of storms) when I do things His way.