Have you thought, when reading the Bible or being around other people, that God is mean? Is He just upset that we aren’t following a list of “religious” do’s and don’t’s? Why do you think that God cares so much for us? I realize that I am starting this with several questions for all of my readers, but these are good points to stop and think about. You may have not done this before. I have read this passage many times and until today, what stood out to me the most was not only the things I do that are wrong and why I do them, but the very point that He jealously longs for us! Verse five actually says “Do you think Scripture says without reason that He jealously longs for the spirit He has caused to dwell in us?” He desires our spirit and wants this relationship with us!
Key Verses
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4 You adulterous people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us[b]? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.”[c]
James 4:1-6
Consequences Of My Sin
| I… | Because… | So I… |
| Desire | I Don’t Have | Kill |
| Covet | Can’t Get What I Want | Quarrel And Fight |
| Don’t Have | I Don’t Ask God | |
| Ask | But don’t receive because of bad motives | So I Can Spend On Pleasures |
Since He Jealously Longs For Us…
Friendship with the world = enemy of God. If you are so close to the world and don’t care what God says in His Word, this verse states that you are an enemy of God. You can’t be both. I don’t think that many people understand this, even those who go to church or went to church growing up. They feel that they are spiritual still, but embrace the world and the philosophies of the world. A current example of this is buying into Socialism/Marxism and Critical Race Theory culture currently taught in Colleges and schools in the nation. He cares, that is why He jealously longs for us. We can’t be close to the world and be close to Him too.
He Jealously Longs for the Spirit that He has caused to dwell within us, does He say this for no reason?
Because He Jealously Longs,
He gives more grace! He opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble!
Here Is Some More To Read!
- https://heartshare.blog/2021/11/09/who-is-wise-look-at-wisdom-in-james/
- https://heartshare.blog/2021/11/08/the-power-of-the-tongue-is-amazing
- /https://heartshare.blog/2021/11/08/practical-and-actable-faith-in-action/
- https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%204%3A1-6&version=NIV
Thank you. Today this post mirrors the jealous longing I felt this morning, for time in His presence… That longing comes from Him too – found myself singing “As the deer longs for the water, so my soul longs after You…”
That is wonderful! Perfect song to sing too!
Beautiful hard hitting truths again!!! It is His mercy which is meant to lead us to repentance. I am thankful He jealously loves me
His mercy does lead us to repentance! I’m incredibly grateful that when I am broken and sin, He still loves me and desires to have a relationship with me!
You know, I really loved this blog post until it turned strangely political.
Criticial Race Theory has been around for decades. Many Christians never heard of it until about a year ago when it suddenly hit Fox news as some sort of scandalized thing. And the only version they know of Critical Race theory is a warped version that mispresents what the theory is about.
Someone who loves God should learn about Critical Race theory not from people who hate it but from people who actually teach it for a living. It’s a good theory, and the Bible lines up with it. Don’t believe everything you read in the news. Being a friend of the world is embracing racism, those who love God will recognize the power injustices and truth of the Bible that is in Critical Race theory.
Anyway, you were doing good till you got all political. Loving the world is about loving material objects, or living for your own power and influence, or coveting, hating others, that sorrt of thing. And critical race theory teaches against all that stuff that James teaches about. Read up on it. Do some more research.
so, I appreciate your comments, however I disagree. In the New Testament, the church had a problem with “race”. It was between Jews and Greeks. Galatians 3:28 even states “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male or female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” What is currently happening is that one race is raised up over the other and it is NOT creating unity. There are kids taught in school that whiteness is bad and black are good. White men are actually told right now in one company that they have to get special permission to get hired. This is ridiculous! I understand that there have been problems in the past with racial issues, but going to the opposite extreme and calling out any color or race as being better or worse than another is unacceptable and it does not create any unity whatsoever. This is what Paul was writing about in Galatians, so yes, racism was a problem then and still is now! But especially the church, those who are in Christ have no business causing division this way. Fox calling it out is simply “calling it out.” We don’t have to stay ignorant of what is going on.
Also being “in the world” or loving the world is not only physical items. It is also philosophies. 2 Corinthians 10: 5 states that “we demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive EVERY thought to make it obedient to Christ.” We have to think about what we are embracing and loving Christ includes being obedient to Him. We all are going to have some disagreements, and I will do more research, but I have seen enough in this last year of people complaining and talking “white supremacy’ this etc. That doesn’t in any way glorify God. I’ve been called a White Supremacist for simply standing on a Biblical principal that has nothing to do with what we are talking about. I have friends who have been called this as well, at church, by someone else who used to go to our church. It had nothing to do with race, just a discussion and this causes division!
Outstanding response! God calls us to focus on what unites us…Christ; while rejecting what divides or differentiates us from one another. There are several places throughout the epistles where Paul deals with this very issue.
I would look at more scripture and do more research on what is of the world too! 1 John 2:15-17. is a great passage also. “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world , the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father but is of the world…
Excellent