1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come
they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
Paul said, “I have learned to be content in whatever state I
find myself (Philippians 4:11). How many
church members can say this applies to them?
It’s one thing to have a passion for your work or to want to
succeed. It’s another to want what
someone else has and work to get it away from them. That is lust and according to this verse it
causes our very members to combat one another.
With the fields white (past the point of harvest) with wheat what do we
do in the church? Try to win someone
else’s members. I do understand finding
the church God has chosen for you but why would you want to take from another church
or saint of God? James is not writing to
the unsaved alone here but also to the church.
The unsaved often run to these lusts and desires, but the
church frequently falls into the very same ones. This is a sad truth which displays a serious
lack of integrity and consecration on our part.
2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and
cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
Cain had a brother who loved him but Abel did what was right
in God’s sight and that angered Cain. He
killed Abel. Joseph had ten brothers and
God began to receive visions and dreams from God. He was his father’s favorite and Jacob gave
him many gifts. Jealous brothers sold
him into slavery. David took another
man’s wife and slept with her making her pregnant. Then he had the husband killed when the man
proved to be too honorable to go home and enjoy his wife while all Israel lived
in tents on the battle field. David had
him killed.
In the last case God rebuked David by the prophet Nathan (2
Samuel 12:7-8). He told David that had
he but asked God would have given him even more wives and concubines. Because he took what was not his God allowed
David’s son Absalom to rise up against David’s house and defile all his
concubines before all of Jerusalem.
Ultimately, even after repenting, David was forced to see his own son
killed and God would not allow David to be the one who built the temple.
Many of us fail to ask God for our hearts desire. Perhaps we saw our neighbor’s wife or car or
other ‘thing’ and chose to take it. It’s
likely we never asked God for one like that because we refused to stand in
faith. Because we failed to ask God, our
eyes remained focused upon that which belonged to another. Because we stretched forth our hands and took
that unrighteous thing God brought great sorrow down upon our house.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye
may consume it upon your lusts.
BJV - Ye church folks
ask and receive not, because your heart is wrong and you only want it because
someone else has it. Remember, James
is writing primarily to church members.
Even then the faith movement was alive and well. Not sure how you say, ‘name it and claim it’
or ‘blab it and grab it’ in Greek, but there was a faith group, a holiness
group, a traditional group and every other group we still have today. There were Christian looking false sects and
gross ignorance as well.
Well does scripture say, “there is nothing new under the sun
(Ecclesiastes 1:9).” Lessons like this
aren’t saying you can’t pray in faith.
They say you need to pray in faith, be holy, be diligent, be humble, be
bold, be gracious and loving, be unyielding, be flexible. All these attributes, even those that seem to
be contradictory, are necessary in the body in their season and in their proper
time. I know I’m going to get slammed
here but I still believe there are those who will experience great hardship and
privation because God expects us to have some understanding of what people are
going through. Not everyone will be
wealthy and that is not such a terrible thing.
The Bible lets us know that it is harder for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than for a wealthy man or noble man to get into
Heaven (Matthew 19:24, Mark 10:25). Some
saints are weak and some are strong. God
tailors our life to keep us spiritually safe and in a place where we can
continue His work and purpose for our lives.
Just as some can partake of food offered to idols with no fear, others
must avoid that same food because it is not in their faith to feel secure in
that area. Know thyself.
4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the
friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a
friend of the world is the enemy of God.
In the previous verse James spoke of lust and now he clearly
is calling church members adulterers and adulteresses, men and women of God who
cheat on their Lord and have made bed partners of the world. I wrote earlier about those who frown on
interracial marriage but think nothing of marrying someone unsaved and not of
the same species (we are God breathed, not dead flesh). We are a new creation and should live as
such. If you are too in love with the
world to live a sanctified (set apart) life toward God then you have made
yourself an enemy of God. You are living
in two worlds, half and half, and that makes you lukewarm.
Partnering with the world does not merely mean in
marriage. It also means in business
practices or how you deal with others.
If you allow the current throat cutting business practices to be part of
your life, then you do not allow God to help others through your choices. You have become an enemy in business, love,
social circumstances and life in general.
God will spit you out.
5-- Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The
spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
I was thinking of someone who said, “I have to get me one of
these.” I look at all the ultralight
aircraft and hang gliders and think, “I really want one of those.” When I was a kid watching a movie and they
dumped a brand new motorcycle into a lake so there was no evidence I said,
“Noooooo!!!” I wanted it. When Paul wrote, “I have learned that in what
ever state I find myself, to be content,” he was writing about a Godly spirit
and not the flesh spirit that rules this current world.
Thou shalt not covet is one of the ten commandments. It’s right up there with thou shalt not
commit murder and thou shalt not steal.
You may ask what makes envy so terrible.
Corinthians says, “God divides to us special gifts, He gives several to
each of us as He desires.” Each and
every one of us has these gifts. We look
at the gift to make money (and it is a gift) and the gift to lead people and we
think, “I want those.” We look at our
own gifts and say, “No! Not those. I don’t want my gift to work that way.” Here we are, angry with God over a gift He
has given us and haven’t even stopped to consider that God, the Creator of the
universe has specifically chosen our gifts to operate a specific way. How can we possibly not want that?
6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God
resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Scripture says to let the one who would be ruler of all
first be the servant of all. There’s a song
we have sung in church often, “Victory,
victory is mine. Victory, victory is
mine. If I hold my peace and let the
Lord fight my battles, victory, victory shall be mine.” If we know that the weapons of our warfare
are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, then
where do we get the idea we should be arrogant and cocky? I have made many mistakes over the years and
suppose I will still make my share no matter how much I pray or study His
Word. Children can teach me how to
praise and a babe in Christ might give me a much needed infusion of zeal.
I have said and done things over the years that I am not
particularly proud of and am thankful for God’s saving and forgiving
grace. In the wisdom I have gained after
more than thirty years in this life I understand certain things. Most important of all after salvation itself
is that God has a use for me. It might
not be what I am naturally talented at but it will use all my spiritual
gifts. Frankly, I am happiest repairing
broken things and I suppose this pours out over my walk with God allowing me to
help mend broken lives.
Neither gift is mine to lord over, because they all come
from God above. As long as I remember
who I am in Him and remain faithful to His purpose for my life, I believe He
will continue to use me to His glory and will have no need to ‘put me in my
place (Luke 14:8-11).” God rejoices in
exalting His children but too often we make His job a long one by exalting ourselves
which forces Him to abase us so we can be exalted to a higher position while
still maintaining our humility. Humility
is good. Arrogance? Not so much.
7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you.
The loudest argument offered by non-Christians is that we
are out of step with the times and that things have changed. I have it on good authority that the more
things change, the more they remain the same.
God has given us absolutes and we strive to whittle those down into
something we find more comfortable.
During Roman times they had temple prostitutes, now we have the internet
sites that cater to our every whim and desire.
The only difference between people when Jesus walked on the Earth and
now is that we are more technologically savvy.
Intellectually and spiritually
there is no difference.
We struggle to find meaning to life while watching more
hours of television or playing more video games than we do working, much less
getting to know our neighbors and bringing the knowledge of the Word of God to
those around us. People of other
religions are moving into our neighborhoods and inviting US to come over for
dinner so they can win our souls to their god.
If we are serious about this life, if we really intend to continue in it
then we need to live it His way and for His purposes. Our will must die so His might bear fruit.
Satan will not go quietly into the night. He will fight you tooth and nail for the
souls you win. I wonder how many of us
really believe that when we pray, “Satan the Lord rebuke you,” he must
flee. I hope we’re not like the seven
sons of Sceva (Acts 19:14) who sought to stand in a power they did not
understand or believe in and get beat down to their underwear. It would be a shame to hear demon possessed
say, “Jesus I know and Paul I know but who are YOU?”
We are required to resist the devil. That means to stand against him
forcefully. When an airplane propeller
turns it pushes against the air. You
can’t see it but the force is enough to push the plane down the runway and up
into the sky. Our power is greater and
just as invisible. When we pray in the
spirit realm, Satan is forced to acknowledge our superior power and flee from
us. The problem is that if we do not
believe in our OWN power in Christ, how are we going to apply that power to our
spiritual warfare. The battle may be
invisible but it is mighty and it is vicious.
Satan asks for no quarter and offers none. He will kill you if he can. The promise of God says he will flee from
before you. Believeth thou this?
8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse
your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
What a wonderful truth that God rejoices, honors and blesses
His children when they draw close to Him.
One of the greatest revivals in US history, the Azusa Street Revival
began as one man humbled himself, bowed his head in an empty wood crate, and
prayed until God moved in a powerful way.
He wasn’t the smartest or most famous; he was simply the faithful and
most hungry for God’s presence. His
sacrifice bubbled up and flowed over thousands of lives and ministries.
Are your hands clean?
Pray with me. Lord, forgive me
for my sins. I have fallen short in so
many ways and my heart’s desire is to fulfill your will in my life. Cleanse me Father. Purify my soul and strengthen me to be
faithful and to obey your will. I love
you Lord and desire to serve you fully.
Make me strong and full of your Holy Spirit. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Once you have prayed and sought God’s grace and mercy, you
need to abstain from all the ‘mess’ you have filled your mind with and pray
that God’s Word will work great miracles in your life. Let the words of your mouth and the attitudes
of your heart be fully and completely sold old to God. It is easy to surrender to flesh and
sin. Living in the spirit takes a real
effort of will, yours and His.
Once your hearts have been purified by God’s grace, it’s
time to embrace and walk in His Word. A
double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
No matter how much you might want to do a thing, if you don’t focus on
God and release all the various inconsequential parts of your life to Him, you
will never truly succeed. You can only
serve one master. Save yourself a great
deal of pain and make that master God.
Sin and flesh are terrible and wanton taskmasters who are never
full.
9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be
turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Most of us read this and think … what? We don’t understand why we should be
afflicted or mourn or weep, but the truth is this passage speaks to those who
have chosen the world’s system of happiness and joy rather than God’s. All worldly pleasures will come to an
end. Illegal pleasures will end quicker
still as this fallen flesh we live in ages and decays. The fifteen year old who fights against her
parents and authority will soon be thirty, possibly unemployed or raising
children alone without help. Perhaps
she’ll get her act together and shine, but without God her every choice just
leads her deeper down that road of sin and shame.
I watched this nice kid, Justin Bieber, who gradually made
bad choice after bad choice and because of his money he gets away with his
decisions for a season. He has money,
fame and finds himself in trouble regularly because of immature choices. It’s possible he may remain on top or find
someone who inspires him to do better, but with certainty, one day, his life
will end and his truth begin. Fame and
wealth will prove fleeting in the face of a God who demands obedience and
reverence.
God does not allow us to carry our sin into the Christian
walk. It must die as we must die to
self. He gave us skills and insists they
be used for His glory. Whatever is not
done in faith to God and according to His Word is sin, and sin cannot live in
the sight of God. We will not live
forever and we must choose to serve God or not while in this life. If we choose not we will weep and howl and
lose everything. If yes, we have a
chance to grow.
10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he
shall lift you up.
Our God has no problem making a positive example of us, i.e.
making us famous or wealthy. He says,
“If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.” God wants to save souls. If that means we will be raised to a level in
Christ where we can be seen and set an example, so be it. Hard nails get hammered. Soft material gets sanded and shaped. There is a difficult process for us all but
if we look to Him, the author and finisher of our faith, we will be used for
great things. We are the body of Christ
and in that position, we must be lifted up if we are to lift Him up. Our problems come when we are lifted in pride
and forsake HIS honor.
11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh
evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and
judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but
a judge.
During my military years this was explained to me a certain
way, but I can’t use that example. Let
me try to make this clear. There are few
examples of speaking evil of one another that come across as powerfully as the
educational system in America today.
From the grade school to university there is more than a bit of pride to be found in
school teachers and professors.
Everybody wants to believe that their way of teaching is superior to the
person next to them. They back stab and
back bite one another regularly, especially if you are a college professor with
your doctorate and some upcoming whippersnapper tries to shoot down your thesis
or theories.
We talk about others for their hair, their relationships,
their intelligence, their direction in life, their jobs, their life habits,
their strengths, their weaknesses. I
could go on for hours here because it seems to be a part of the fallen human
condition that if someone is different from us, there is something wrong with
them. The one thing I noticed when I
traveled to Kenya a couple years ago was the lack of racism. Racism is prevalent in the United States and
appears to fall within that same concept, you’re different; I don’t like you.
Racism falls apart when two people get to know one another
and discover a kindred spirit. This
makes those on the outside crazy because all they can see is the differences
and fail to make the connection of your valid interconnection with someone else
based on deeper things than skin color or sex.
Because they are unable to see what you see from their shallow
understanding, they are by our very human nature quick to throw stones of
disgust and anger. The ultimate judge is
alluded to in verse 12 below. It is He
and He alone that can truly choose what is right or wrong.
12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to
destroy: who art thou that judgest another?
Verse 11 and 12 speak a warning to our human arrogance and
judgmental spirit. The words ought to be
spoken with authority and more than a hint of threat. “WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE MY SERVANT!!! DID YOU CREATE THE WORLD? WAS IT YOU WHO SET THE UNIVERSE IN
MOTION? I ALONE AM GOD AND I ALONE AM
JUDGE!!!”
Think of these things the next time that old nature rises up
in your hearts and you want to scream, “You Moron!!!” when someone cuts you off
on the freeway or you don’t like a decision a court has made. Remember that God is the judge and He will
make everything right in His time. Your
dislike of a situation is not the problem, your failure to trust God to make it
right is.”
13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go
into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: 14
Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is
even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.
A few years ago I was riding my motorcycle up in Washington
State. I might have told myself, “When
we get done riding tonight I’m going to buy the biggest steak dinner they have
at that restaurant.” Five minutes later
I was sliding down the road with a 900 pound motorcycle pinning me to the
highway after it had hammered me in the chest and almost stopped my heart. Miraculously, though I was bleeding
internally, I got up and walked over to my motorcycle and picked it up, got on
it, and continued my ride. Sixty miles
later I began to get dizzy and pulled over, collapsing over my handlebars where
my riding partner found me and thought I was dead.
An hour later I was in the cardiac ward of the Olympia
Washington St. Bernardine hospital with tubes running into my arm and my pelvis
and hip swollen to the size of a football with my own blood. They told me I could not go home because my
heart was bruised badly and might tear during the night. Enjoy the jello.
15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall
live, and do this, or that.
I still ride that motorcycle though I am a bit more careful
these days. My hip hurts every day where
the bike pinned me to the moving highway.
I can hear my heartbeat in my left ear because of the damaged valve and
my doctor is reluctant to go in there and fix it because heart surgery is not
like getting a tooth worked on. You
might live. You might not. I’ve never been a good gambler. My heart, he says, is strong and
healthy. Let’s just watch it for a
while.
I’ve been electrocuted, dropped onto concrete, slid down a
highway and fallen out of innumerable trees.
I have scars, aches, pains and both shoulders hurt when it rains due to
operations. Not once did I start my day
and think, “I’ll go out and fall off a ladder onto my back on the concrete
today. That sounds like fun.” We can plan our days and keep our hands busy
but lately my one prayer has become, “Lord, more than anything else, I want
Your direction.” MORE THAN ANYTHING
ELSE…I want Your direction.
More than fame, health, wealth, love, safety, joy,
happiness, I want God’s direction. I
feel confident praying this because even though I have thrown myself onto God’s
mercy and trust Him for my future, He loves me more than I love myself. One way or another, I will have the live I
need and didn’t even know it. It’s not
by my wisdom or ability, but by His love and compassion that I find myself in
this place today. I trust Him!
16 But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such
rejoicing is evil.
I am pretty good at putting a sentence together. I have a gift of gab (I can talk). There are other skills and gifts that God has
given me and oddly enough, they do not work without His input. I can rejoice in how God uses me for His
glory but I cannot rejoice in my boasting.
I can’t say, “I have done all this by my skills and talents.” Nebuchadnezzar tried this and God put him in
the penalty box for a long long time (Daniel 4:30).
17 Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it
not, to him it is sin.
Your gifts were given to you to bless God and man. They were not given to fill you with pride
and arrogance. God does not approve of
pride nor does he put up with it. I
often watch famous performers parade their opinions out for others to hear,
acting all the world like their words carry the voice of God by reason of their
fame. For the most part they live lives
of sin and consumption while looking down upon the very people who made those
lives possible. They give no credit to
the very God who gave them the gift they exploit to their own benefit. The wages of sin are death and using your
gifts to your benefit and not God’s is also sin.
Beloved, identify your gifts. Ask God how you might honor Him by using your
gifts accordingly.
Blessings,
Bishop J
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