JOINING THE DEFENSE LINE
Opening Prayer
Lord, as I come to your Word, help me to set aside anything that would distract me from hearing your voice today.
Read JAMES 4:1–12
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:
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”[c]
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.
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?
Footnotes
- James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.
- James 4:5 Or that the spirit he caused to dwell in us envies intensely; or that the Spirit he caused to dwell in us longs jealously
- James 4:6 Prov. 3:34
- James 4:11 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family.
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Sit quietly as you pray: ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ Open your hands to receive the Holy Spirit afresh today.This is a tough passage and, as usual, James doesn’t mince his words. Speaking of war (v. 1) and adultery (v. 4) as metaphors for the state of our Christian communities is meant to be uncomfortable. Sadly, we have all experienced discord, hostility, and self-seeking behavior within our churches. The source of this strife comes from our internal battle zones as we wrestle with the temptation of worldly pleasures. How easy it is to put our own desires before those of God.
Peter warns that the devil is like a prowling lion waiting patiently for his prey, moving quietly and unseen (1 Peter 5:8). Similarly, we need to be alert and on guard to ward off the devil (v. 7), who, like the lion, targets our weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
Both war and adultery leave devastation in their wake. James paints a picture of spiritual adultery destroying our relationship with God (v. 4). The only remedy is to submit ourselves to God (v. 7). This doesn’t mean sitting back and doing nothing, but instead intentionally joining the defense line in the battlefield. How amazing that God is jealous for his Spirit within us (v. 5), and when we draw close to him in active submission, God promises us the grace to resist the devil and all temptation.
Apply
What actions in your own life can you take to guard against discord within your community of faith?
Closing prayer
Father, I ask for unity within my church family; Holy Spirit, please intervene where there is discord or hostility.
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