WATCHWORD:
What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2 You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3 And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure. 4 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5 Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him. 6 And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor. James 4:1-10
9 This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
Meditation:
Submit and Resist!
Did you see this in the passage above, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”? This is an interesting passage and it raises the question, how do we resist the devil? I guess the answer is found in the first part of that passage, when we submit ourselves fully to God we are indeed resisting the devil.
As we read portions of the Holy Scriptures we should realize that God’s position has not changed, and has not moved, and, certainly, has not been compromised. The Word is very clear, we know where He stands–if we would but obey.
We would all agree that if we believe in Christ we are saved into a right relationship with Him. When we consider the world that we’re living in, we realize that the enemy, Satan himself, is right there. That force, shifty and cunning, is dedicated to confusing us. We try to walk in the light as He is in the light, and sometimes our direction is confused by the lies that often take the place of facts and truth.
We have to keep in mind that Satan’s goal is to exploit anything that can turn us away from God. In that passage of James, the responsibility rests with us to submit ourselves to God, and to resist evil. That’s not a small, easy thing to do when those enticements, which may run counter to God, seem to contain just a sliver of truth, of God’s will. Yet, God’s will cannot be contaminated by evil, in any way, shape or form.
So, how do we resist evil? Read again verse 6, above. “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” That is our answer, we overcome, we resist through the graces that flow from our Lord.
As Spurgeon has noted: ““Sin seeks to enter, grace shuts the door; sin tries to get the mastery, but grace, which is stronger than sin, resists, and will not permit it. Sin gets us down at times, and puts its foot on our neck; grace comes to the rescue… Sin comes up like Noah’s flood, but grace rides over the tops of the mountains like the ark.” (Spurgeon)
I like Moses’ charge to Joshua, which applies to us: “be strong and courageous…God is with you.” Amen.
Bulletin Board:
A century ago, a young student at Oxford University in England was taking an important examination in religious studies. The examination question for this day was to write about the religious and spiritual meaning in the miracle of Christ turning water into wine. For two hours he sat in the crowded classroom while other students filled their pages with long essays, to show their understanding. The exam time was almost over and this one student had not written a single word. The proctor came over to him and insisted that he commit something to paper before turning it in. The young Lord Byron simply picked up his hand and penned the following line: “The water met its Master, and blushed.”
Closing Prayer:
Almighty God, you know the heart and mind of every person, and (yet) you love them, including me. As I seek to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in all its forms, may I never resist your love, wherever it is to be found and however it shows up. Grant me the strength and clarity to proclaim Your love for all of Your children and to co-work with You for a world where diversity is celebrated and welcomed, not feared and punished. When I am weary and need to rest, may I find my rest in You. In the name of Jesus, the Christ. Amen.
