“GRACE TO THE HUMBLE!”

 James 4:1-8                           (ESV)

WARNING AGAINST WORLDLINESS

“[1] What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? [2] YOU DESIRE AND DO NOT HAVE, so you murder. YOU COVET AND CANNOT OBTAIN, so you fight and quarrel. YOU DO NOT HAVE, BECAUSE YOU DO NOT ASK. [3] You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. [4] 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. [5] Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? [6] But HE GIVES MORE GRACE. Therefore it says, “GOD OPPOSES THE PROUD but gives “GRACE TO THE HUMBLE”.” [7] Submit yourselves therefore to GOD. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw near to GOD, and HE will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and PURIFY YOUR HEARTS, you double-minded.”

Humility : freedom from pride or arrogance : the quality or state of being humble

Thinking ourselves more HIGHLY than we should is an extremely dangerous situation to find ourselves in.  It is AMAZING what GOD taught me during and from the Brain Hemorrhage in 2007. I never really thought I was “sitting high looking low” on others, but when I look back at my recovery, and consider what is written in my medical records for the 31 days before I went to Rehab, I was and am EXTREMELY HUMBLED!  Walking through “The valley of the shadow of death” HUMBLED me, sometimes to tears!

There are many “messages” in the Scriptures above.  In no certain order, I will address a few of them.  First of, PURIFY YOUR HEARTS is something I have to CONSTANTLY do!  I am so WRETCHED (1 Timothy 1:15) that I sometimes wander if JESUS thinks HE made a mistake CHOOSING me?  

Secondly, “Do you not know that FRIENDSHIP WITH THE WORLD IS ENMITY WITH GOD?” Why do I seek to do anything I can NOT TO OFFEND others with the Gospel, when Scripture tells me that they are headed to eternal damnation without a personal relationship with JESUS!

Finally, “GOD OPPOSES THE PROUD but gives “GRACE TO THE HUMBLE”.”  GOD does not approve of us looking down on those who HE has yet to CALL.  We can not be sure that HE won’t CALL them, but we don’t need to burn a bridge with them, but continue to be used to be a MIRROR, reflecting JESUS in everything we do to minister to them.  ALMIGHTY GOD gives “GRACE TO THE HUMBLE”!  It is MY PRAYER that GOD SEES me as one HE can give “GRACE TO THE HUMBLE”….for HIS GLORY!!!!