James 4

[image by Fondo Antiguo]

Selfishness causes conflict & prevents God from giving me what I want

What’s the cause of your fights and conflicts? Aren’t your pleasures the things that cause you to wage war against each other? You crave what you don’t have, so you end up killing. You’re jealous of things you can’t have which causes you to quarrel and fight. The reason why don’t have those things is because you don’t ask. And the reason why you don’t receive them is because you ask with an unhealthy heart, only wanting to spend them on your own pleasures.

Loving the world makes me God’s enemy

You whores! Don’t you know that being friends with the world makes you enemies with God? Whoever insists on being the world’s friend establishes himself as God’s enemy. Why do you think there Scripture says:

“He jealously craves the spirit that he planted in us.”

Repent and make up with God

But God gives lots of grace which is why it says,

“God opposes prideful people, but he gives grace to humble people.”

So subject yourselves to God, resist the Blamer and he will leave you alone. Move closer to God and he will move closer to you. You are in opposition to God, so clean up your act; and your minds are divided, so purify your hearts. Mourn and cry as you let that sink in. Let your laughter turn into grief, and let your happiness turn into heaviness. Lower yourselves before the master and he will lift you up.

Don’t judge others because that’s God’s job

Fellow believers, don’t bad-mouth each other. Whoever bad-mouths or criticizes a brother also bad-mouths and criticizes God’s edict. And as soon as you start criticizing God’s edict, you stop becoming a follower of it and become a judge of it. There is only one law-maker and judge: the One who is capable of both rescuing and eradicating... so who are you to judge the person next to you?

Recognize God’s sovereignty

Some people say things like:

“Today or tomorrow we will travel to a specific city to do business there for a year and make money.”

Yet you have no way of knowing what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a puff of steam that appears for an instant and then dissipates. So instead you should say,

“Here’s what we plan to do if the master wishes.”

The way you currently talk is arrogant and prideful, and that kind of boasting is destructive. When you know the right thing to do but don’t do it, you are opposing God.