James 4
I read this last night before I went to bed. It really struck me, so I’m going over it again and kind of breaking it down.
James 4:5
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.
It’s so black-and-white. We can’t live life on the fence. To me, I’m just realizing that when you want to follow God, you have got to be willing to give up anything that would distract you or that would keep you from Him. We just cannot have it both ways as Christians; we have got to shake off anything that is not obedient to Him.
James 4:7-9
God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 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. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
We need to be humble and willing to be molded. I think a big mistake that Christians can make is assuming that, “Well, surely God is going to have me always do this.” We need to constantly allow God to mold us and to shape us; we should always be willing to accept new marching orders, even if that means something drastically different than what God had us doing a week ago. We need to be humble enough to accept that and never figure that we have finally gotten our life figured out to the point where we don’t need (or want) God’s direction.
I also love how it’s clear how we can get close to God if we feel far away. If we draw close to Him, He will draw close to us. It’s a really helpful reminder for me in times where I’m tempted to think, “God, where are You?” I know He hasn’t moved, so I need to press in harder and draw closer.
James 4:13-17
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.
Finally… it’s so true, but we have no idea what life will bring us. We don’t even know how long we’re going to live, so how in the world can be predict what we’re going to be doing? I just think we have to make it a habit to humbly go to God every day and ask, “What is it You want me to do today?” If we are truly willing to drop everything for the sake of being obedient to Him, then it’s a really comforting feeling. All you need to do is exactly what God tells you to. Nothing more, nothing less.
Plus, since we have no idea how much time we have left on earth, doesn’t it make sense to use every day to the fullest? With the precious hours and days you have left, use them to draw closer to God, to your family, and to pursue whatever it is that God has placed on your heart.
I love the last line of that paragraph, because it cuts right to the heart of the matter. Instead of legally defining sin, this is worded so simply that every human being can understand it. If you are knowingly doing something (or not doing something) that is against God’s will, that’s sinning. We don’t need “thou shalt nots” because God has it printed on our hearts to the point where we know when we are obeying.