The Way - Day 042 (James 4)

Pastor Tom's Journal on Today's Reading:
James 4
So far, James has been writing to Jewish Christians who had been dispersed throughout the region because of intense persecution. He began his letter by encouraging them to stand strong during times of trial because they would eventually benefit from it (1:1-18). James then informed them that Scripture could sustain them through any circumstance, and their duty was to faithfully obey it (1:19-27). In James 2 he tackled issues such as treating all people the same (2:1-13) and the fact that good works are always the result of faith in Jesus Christ (2:14-26). James 3 exposed the necessity of having right speech (3:1-12), as well as the difference between God's wisdom and man's wisdom (3:13-18).

In James 4, he addresses a very relevant topic which every human being encounters – the sin of pride. There appears to be some type of conflict occurring inside the church, but the exact situation is not documented. Even though the specific circumstance is not known, the reader can assume (by the words James uses) that people were fighting because they were not getting their own way. Pride was the culprit. James asks the following questions to his readers, "What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you?" (4:1, NLT) Since the church is very diverse, there are numerous opinions and viewpoints. Oftentimes, these differences can lead to pride and selfishness; however, when believers choose to argue and attempt to get their own way, the church becomes ineffective in its witness to the world.

James reminds his readers that "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (4:6). Instead of being filled with pride, a follower of Christ should remain humble. Humility involves setting aside what I want in order to do what is best for everyone. The cure for pride is to "submit to God...resist the devil...draw near to God...cleanse your hands...purify your hearts...humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord." (4:7-10). There is no need to fight with others when we choose to submit our attitudes and actions to the Lord. When we allow God to take control of every situation, He will be able to accomplish His will.

In the first half of James 4, he referenced a current conflict in the church. Although the specifics are not given, the reader can surmise that people were fighting to get their own way. In today’s passage, there seems to be another problem facing James' readers. People were making daily choices but leaving God out of their thinking. They claimed to believe in God but were unwilling to allow His word to shape their decision making.

The particular situation James mentions is that there were business- minded people who were selfishly making financial ventures without considering God's perspective. They were making their own plans with no respect for their faith in Jesus Christ. For this reason, James warns, "You do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away" (4:14). Although these individuals thought they had their future figured out, James reminded them that they were not even aware of what would happen tomorrow.
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Instead of selfishly planning their future, they should have declared "If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that" (4:15, NLT). When an assumed follower of Jesus Christ consistently and blatantly ignores God's ways, are they really following Christ? Some refer to this type of person as a practical atheist, which is an individual who claims to have faith, but their actions do not exemplify God in any way.

Life is too short to leave God out. He knows the beginning from the end and deserves to be first place in all the plans we make. Spending time reading God's word will make a person aware of His will. Prayer is an act of submission where we are asking God for strength to accomplish His work. Admit that you do not know what will happen tomorrow but make a fresh commitment to follow Christ right now.

Dear God, I know life is short so help me consider You in all the plans I make.