- But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. James 4:6 – I’m so grateful that we serve a God that gives us more grace. Let’s look at the context of what’s being said within this verse. James is speaking about how Christians can choose a worldly way of life over that of the holy life God calls us to live. We can pursue our fleshly desires, just like those who don’t follow Jesus do. We see that a follower of Jesus who is choosing such a life is at odds with God, and while God’s Spirit longs for this individual to seek the Lord out for the fulfillment of his desires, that’s not the heart of this individual. They want to do things their way, see life their way, and have the fill of sin they want. Sounds very prideful, doesn’t it? This is what our verse then is addressing. God absolutely gives more grace to those who seek it. God’s grace is never ending and will cover all our sin as we turn to Him. When we humbly come before the Lord, asking for forgiveness, and choosing His way over ours, there we find this abundance of grace. Yet when we camp in our pride, refusing to change our life’s course from chasing after our selfish desires, grace isn’t found. God is in opposition to the life that pridefully refuses to follow His ways. Let us then be willing to look within as ask how we may be pridefully refusing to follow the Lord’s ways. Has God outlined for us how to find fulfillment of a desire we have but we’ve chosen our pathway instead? Whatever type of desires you may have, whether it be love or acceptance or purpose or even sexual gratification, God has given to us in His word His holy plans to meet those desires. While we may have sought out the world’s pathways to those things being fulfilled for so long, when we choose to seek God’s pathways, there we find more grace. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3201
- You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4 – This verse I believe helps with the confusion some people have about this message to be in the world but not of it. We are to build relationships with the people in the world, but an intimacy with the ways of the world can’t be a part of a follower of Jesus’ life. So going out partying and getting drunk on the weekend and saying it’s a “mission field” for you really doesn’t cut it. Or staying in a wrong relationship to “win them over to Jesus” because you like what you do in that relationship doesn’t cut it either. Yes, strive for closeness with the people in the world, but you don’t have to be the world to build relationships with the people in the world. In truth, they have enough people in their life that are consumed with the world, they need something different in their story. Be that something different. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 739
- So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:17 – This passage follows verses describing how we have no clue what tomorrow actually will hold. We have know clue even if we will be alive tomorrow. Our life is but a mist that appears for a little time then vanishes. So, if the Lord is blessing us with a today, what is the right thing for us to do today? For we don’t know if we’ll be blessed with a tomorrow, what then is the right, holy thing for us to be doing today? We are to be telling people about Jesus and showing His love to them. We then, who know this truth, but decide to put it off till tomorrow, are in sin. Each follower of Jesus has been directed by God to each and every day to be somehow pointing people to the love of Jesus. So if our heart says, “I’ll just get on that tomorrow,” when opportunities to do it today are in front of us, this is a sinful choice for us. Let’s then not find ourselves in sin today. We know what we’ve been called to do today, so let’s lean into that calling today. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2131
Daily DEVO 