James 4:1-12

So far, James has been writing to Jewish Christians who have been dispersed throughout the region because of persecution. He began his letter by encouraging them to stand strong during their time of trial and in the end they would profit from this hardship (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 that good works are always the result of faith in Jesus Christ (2:14-26). Chapter 3 exposed the necessity of having the right speech (3:1-12) as well as the difference between God’s wisdom and man’s wisdom (3:13-18). Next James addresses a very relevant topic which faces every human being – pride. There appears to be some conflict happening inside the church but the exact situation is not documented. Although the specific circumstance is not known, we can assume through the words James uses that people were fighting because they were not getting their own way (covetousness) and pride was taking over. James asks the following questions: “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?” (4:1) Since the church is very diverse, there are numerous opinions and oftentimes these differences can lead to issues of pride and selfishness. However, when believers choose to argue and try to get their own way at any expense, the church becomes ineffective in its witness to the world. This is what causes James to write “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (4:6). Instead of being prideful, a follower of Christ should remain humble. Humility involves forgetting what I want and doing what is best for everyone. The cure for pride is to “submit to God…resist the devil…draw near to God…cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts…humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up” (4:7-10). There is no need to fight with others in order to get my own way when I am daily submitting my attitudes and actions to God. When I allow Him to take control of every situation, He will be able to accomplish His will through me.

Dear God, help me to resist a prideful spirit and be clothed with humility.