James 5:2

NIV: Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes

The Message: Your greedy luxuries are a cancer in your gut, destroying your life from within.

Remember Jesus when he talked about not storing up treasure on earth where the moths eat and rust destroys?

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. Matthew 6:19 (NIV)

There are some people who’s sole aim in life is to get as much as possible, to acquire wealth, belongings,   fame, power.  But in reality, what are they actually doing?  They are storing up for themselves anxiety, worry, hatred enmity, looking to amass that which does not last, that fades and rots away.  So many of us have our priorities wrong.  We focus on the things of this world, not the eternal world, the heavenly world where we will, if we are believers, spend eternity.  What is the point of having a large bank balance,  the latest fashions, the newest car, the biggest house, always trying to do one better than our neighbours?  Yes, it is good to have the comfort of having money in the bank, knowing you can pay all your bills.  It is always good to feel the approbation of others, to know people look up to you, respect you, maybe even fear you.  But what exactly does all this do for you?  Where does it get you?  What will happen when you die?  Where will you go?  Is it just a case of being buried six feet under and your body rotting away or is there more to life than this?

If all that happens when we die is that we get buried or cremated and that is an end of us, then fine.  You may as well make life here on earth as pleasant as possible for yourself and let everyone else fend for themselves.  After all, if we only have  50, 60, 70 years or more to spend on earth, then a bit of comfort and luxury would be really lovely.  It would be great to be pampered, to have every worry and care taken care of, money in the bank, good clothes in the wardrobe, a lovely house, a nice car, the respect of friends, family, neighbours, and others.  Why not make life as comfortable for yourself as you can, and let everyone else fend for themselves?

But what if there is more to life?  What if there really is a God, it wasn't just a big bang, a fluke, that caused the earth, the universe to be created.  What if it is not just evolution that has led us to be where we are today?  What if the bible is true, if God really did send His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us, if Jesus really did exist, truly is the Son of God  and is not just fiction, or a mere man whose followers and him out to be more than he ever was?

Because if there is more to life, if God really does exist and His Son died on the cross to save us, then all the wealth in the world, the finest clothes, the biggest car, the mansion in the private grounds with its own swimming pool, the fame, the fortune, will not save us from the judgment of God.  One day, every knee shall bow to Jesus, every single knee:

It is written:  'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'Every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'  So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.  Romans: 11-12 (NIV)

So storing up treasure here on earth is absolutely pointless, because what we should be doing is storing up treasure on heaven since that is where we will be spending eternity.  Unless, of course, you don't believe in God, in Jesus, or in the bible where we are told Jesus is the only way to God:

Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.  John 14:6 NIV

So what exactly do you believe and where are you storing up your treasures?

James 5:1

NIV: Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you

The Message:

And a final word to you arrogant rich: Take some lessons in lament. You'll need buckets for the tears when the crash comes upon you.

What a warning for those who are rich!  But I don't believe this is a warning for those who just happen to have lots of money, big houses, designer clothes and so on.  After all, didn't God bless Abraham with riches?  And look at how Joseph rose to become one of the most important men in Egypt.   It is what you do with the riches you have that count because there is nothing wrong in being rich in itself.

James here is, I think , not talking about those who go and do good with their money, the ones who give freely to charity, do not hoard, but instead take care of their family and help others in need.  No, I reckon he is talking about those who have put their riches and wealth above everything,  the ones who have put their trust in the things of this earth - the money, the position, the fame, the success and so on - rather than the things are of God.   He is referring to those to whom money is the be all and end all of life, the most important thing to them.

But it is not only money that we do this with.  What about those people whom we idolise, the ones we spend so much time thinking about, dreaming about, that life holds no meaning if we cannot have them in our lives?  What about the pop stars, actors, actresses whose lives we avidly follow, reading every snippet of information we can about them?  Then there are the reality TV programmes where we tune in every night to see who is evicted from the house, the jungle or wherever, who goes through to the next round, and so on.  At the end of the day they are just people like you and I, yet we endow them with so many special characteristics just because they are on the television, film or stage.

I reckon we each need to take a good long look at our lives every so often, to see exactly who or what we are making our priority.  Are we putting God first and foremost, giving him the praise and glory, turning to Him when things go wrong and giving Him the praise no matter what is going on in our lives?  Or are we putting others first, or our jobs, our bank balances, our family, browsing on the internet, spending time with friends, gossiping, passing on "news" about others under the guise of friendly concern.  Who or what is the first thing we think of when we get up in a morning, or the last thing we think of at night?  Is God really first in our lives, or a poor second, or third or maybe even lower down on the list as our problems and concerns take priority?

It is so easy to let the things of this world take over, to focus our hearts and minds on the everyday problems of making ends meet, paying the bills, looking after the family, working, dealing with illness and everything else that goes on in our lives.  But God is right there in the midst of all the chaos of everyday life.  He is the one we can turn to no matter what is happening in our lives.  He is the one constant we have.  He will not change like a chameleon, a friend and lover one minute, an enemy the next, listening to what we say in confidence and then passing this on to others.  He is never changing, always faithful, full of love, grace and mercy.  No matter who we are or what we have done, He is slow to anger and quick to forgive.  Just read the Psalms and see what the writers had to say about God and his faithfulness.

We need to place our faith and trust in Him and Him alone, not the things of this world.

James 4:16-17

NIV: As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.  Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

The Message: As it is, you are full of your grandiose selves. All such vaunting self-importance is evil. In fact, if you know the right thing to do and don't do it, that, for you, is evil.

This is a continuation from the previous verses.  Those verses spoke about boasting about what we are going to do, our plans for the future, and here James is telling us that this is not just wishful thinking (after all, we all have dreams about what we would like to do in the future).  When we plan and scheme without putting God at the forefront of any plans, when we effectively ignore God and do what we want, when we want, then all we are doing is boasting. 

We shouldn't be boasting about anything we have done, or anything we are going to do, because all that we have comes from God and it is to Him we should be giving the glory, not trying to make ourselves look good in front of others. 

I reckon this is something that we all do at sometime or another.  I mean, we all want others to think well of us, we want to look good in the eyes of the world, in the eyes of other Christians too,  We don't want to be thought of as lazy, idle, good for nothing.  We want to be thought of as devout, praiseworthy, honest, good examples of Christian men or women, someone others can look up to or come to for advice and counselling, people who are truly living the Christian life and making full use of all the gifts God has given us.

But when we boast about what we have done, what we are going to do, then we are effectively sinning as we let our pride, our sense of self worth and esteem take over.  Or, as James puts it, all such vaunting self importance is evil. 

Instead, we should be putting God first in our lives doing what He would have us do, allowing the holy Spirit to lead and guide us.  As Christians, we all know this but how often do we actually do this?  How often do we stop to listen to that still small voice inside, the promptings of our spirit when we know we are about to do something that is wrong?  After all, one more drink can't do us any harm; missing church and having a lie in is necessary to make up for all the hard work we did during the week; going out tonight instead of staying in is only what we deserve; making plans for the future is only sensible.....

When we know what we should be doing and don't do it, then we are evil, we are allowing sin full reign on our lives and letting the devil get his way.  He would like nothing better than to keep us away from God, to sidetrack us and get us off the straight and narrow path and he will us every trick in the book (plus all those not even in the book!)  to do so.

It's a case, yet again, of always keeping our hearts and minds focused on God, of putting Him first in our lives and taking the time to spend time with God, to now allow the busyness of life intrude and to really, truly have a personal relationship with God.  Easier said than done when real life is always interfering with family, problems, deadlines and all sorts to worry about....

James 4:13-15

NIV: Now listen, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  Instead, you ought to say, If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.

The Message: And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, "Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we're off to such and such a city for the year. We're going to start a business and make a lot of money." You don't know the first thing about tomorrow. You're nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, "If the Master wills it and we're still alive, we'll do this or that."

It was the custom in those days to travel from city to city, carrying your goods on the backs of camels, selling and buying in each city you went to. These words seem to be specifically aimed at those people, who plan ahead which city they are going to go to, what goods they are going to buy/sell.  But in actual fact, these words are just as applicable to each one of us.  After all, how many times do we plan ahead, work out what we are going to do tomorrow, where we will be, what we will do?  I mean, I have a to do list as long as my arm, and the number of times I talk about all the jobs I am going to do tomorrow, the plans I have, how my work is going to go..... 

Yet how do we know what will happen tomorrow?  Our lives are fleeting, anything could happen tomorrow.  For instance, I am currently on holiday with my family, and no matter what plans we may make for tomorrow, where we are gong, what we are going to do, whether we are walking up Snowdon (we're staying in Wales!), visiting caves or an historic castle, much of it depends on the weather.  It is no fun going walking up Snowdon in pouring rain, and a visit to the caves depends on whether they are flooded or not due to heavy rain. Then again, if it is a beautiful sunny day, a trip to the beach might be the preferred option.

We can plan all we want, but nobody really knows what tomorrow holds.

Then when you look at those traders who are planning where they are going, what they are going to do, where they will stay and for how long, when you consider our plans as a family for going out tomorrow, where does God fit into the equation?  What consideration do we, I give to Him when I make all my plans for tomorrow?

Life is fleeting, here today and gone tomorrow.   We could get knocked down by a bus tomorrow, of become seriously ill.  There could be floods, earthquakes, all sorts.  James refers here to our lives being like a wisp of fog or mist.  Well, just take a look at the morning mist if you are up early enough to catch it.  What happens to the mist?  It is here one minute, and gone the next, just like our lives. 

Look at what Job has to say:

Job 7:7 Remember, O God, that my life is but a breath; my eyes will never see happiness again. (NIV)

And Solomon too had something to say about life:

Ecclesiastes 1:14 I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.  (NIV)

We need to get our priorities right, to get our hearts right with God and to focus on Him, not on the things of this world.  The people, like one of my sons, who tell themselves there is no god, are only fooling themselves.  We need to realise that life is fleeting, we are only here in this earth for a relatively short time, and then there is all eternity ahead of us.  Take a good look around you at all that you can see.  Look at the plants, the trees, the birds, the sky, the sun, the moon and the stars.  Did they all really just happen by chance, the result of a big bang?  If there was nothing there in the first place, then what caused the big bang? If we are all just the result of evolution,  why is there so much variety? 

If there really is no god, then you need to be absolutely certain in your own mind of how the earth, the universe and all that is in it came about, because you are risking your eternal life. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done . (NIV)

God has placed eternity in our hearts.  Each one of us has an inborn sense of there being something more, and many of us spend our lives trying to find what it is that will bring us peace, security, happiness.  But true happiness can only come from knowing God.  You can't find it by sleeping around, drinking yourself into a stupor every night, or by taking drugs.  Working every hour under the sun to make a fortune will not bring happiness as money brings its own problems.  Following false religions will only fill that God shaped hole in your heart for a moment, because the only way to God is through Jesus:

John 14:6 Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.  (NIV)

So when making your plans for tomorrow, when considering what you will do, where you will go, give some thought to God.  Put Him at the centre of your life, not the periphery (assuming He is in your life in the first place....)..  Seek His will for your life, ask Him what you should be doing.  But if God isn't in your life, if He does not factor into any of your decisions or thought processes, something or someone that you never even think about, isn't it time you gave some thought as to whether He really exists or not?  Because if He does, and if Jesus is the only way to God, just what are you doing with your life?

James 4:12

NIV: There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you— who are you to judge your neighbour?

The Message: God is in charge of deciding human destiny. Who do you think you are to meddle in the destiny of others?

This all ties back to Jesus' words regarding the most important of the Ten Commandments:

Mark 12:28-31 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, Of all the commandments, which is the most important?

The most important one, answered Jesus, is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.  The second is this: 'Love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.' (NIV)

God gave us the ten commandments as a standard to live by.  He is a god of love, not hate, and His laws, the Ten Commandments, are written in love, to help us b e the people He always designed and created us to be.  There is only one lawgiver, God, and only one judge, God.  He gives is the law and He judges whether we have obeyed the  law.  And this does not mean whether we have kept within the letter of the law, whether we have driven at 30 miles an hour or 31 miles an hour.  This is more of a case, I reckon, of keeping the law within our hearts. 

This doesn't mean that we can, for instance, drive above the speed limit and then tell ourselves it was all right, because in our hearts, we were only doing 30 miles an hour.  No, this is a case of trying to keep the law in our hearts, of knowing instinctively what is right or wrong and trying to do right, not wrong.  Not because of the threat of eternal damnation and the fires of hell though, no, but keeping the law because of the love we have for God, because it is His law and He set it for a reason. 

This also doesn't mean that the law is the be all and end all of life.  After all, we are saved because of our faith in Jesus, of our knowing that He is the Son of God who died on the cross to save each and every one of us from the rightful punishment that is due to us because of all the sinful things we have each done.  Because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross, God no longer remembers our sins, they have been cast as far as the East is from the West, no matter what we have done. 

This does not mean we can just ignore God's rules though because we have been forgiven.  Paul has words to say on this in (all bible verses below taken from the Message):

Romans 4:4-5 If you're a hard worker and do a good job, you deserve your pay; we don't call your wages a gift. But if you see that the job is too big for you, that it's something only God can do, and you trust him to do it—you could never do it for yourself no matter how hard and long you worked—well, that trusting-him-to-do-it is what gets you set right with God, by God. Sheer gift.

Romans 4:16a This is why the fulfilment of God's promise depends entirely on trusting God and his way, and then simply embracing him and what he does. God's promise arrives as pure gift. That's the only way everyone can be sure to get in on it, those who keep the religious traditions and those who have never heard of them. 

Romans 6:1-2 So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we've left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there?

Romans 6:5-11 Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God. That's what Jesus did.

I reckon all this means that when we become Christians, we no longer have to abide by the law, the ten commandments, but because of our love of God, our love of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit, who lives within each believer, we will want to obey the law anyway.  It's somewhat like when you pass your driving test.     When you are still a learner driver, you have to know the Highway Code in order to pass (here in the UK) your theory test.  When you finally become a fully fledged driver, with a full driving license, that does not mean you throw away the Highway Code.  It should mean that you still want to keep it, abide by the rules because you know these are set for your safety and the safety of others. 

The Highway Code is there for a reason, just as God's laws are there for a reason.  We can't just ignore them once we become Christians on the grounds that we are saved by grace.  They are set through love to help protect each one of us.  God is a god of love, full of grace and mercy,  slow to anger, quick to forgive.  He knows the reasoning behind each and very law, each of the commandments, and when we set ourselves up as judges of others, we are in a way, setting ourselves on a par with God.  But who are we to judge others?  What right do we have to look over and criticise others for the way they are living their lives, to find fault with the things they do, set ourselves up as better than them?  After all, we are no better than anyone else because we have all sinned and God does not judge the severity of the sin, so a mass murderer is dealt with more harshly than someone who has only ever told one little white lie.  No, the fact of the matter is, if we have committed only one sin, no matter how big or small, we are separated from God and it is only through grace, through Jesus' sacrifice that we are saved.  Nothing we can do would ever be good enough to put us right with God, only by accepting God's grace, by receiving Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, are we saved.

This always brings me back to Jesus and the woman caught in adultery.  When the Pharisees found her and brought her to Jesus, insisting she be stoned because she had been caught out (no mention of the man, though, and surely he would have been caught too.......), not one word of criticism or censure did he speak.  He would have known better than anyone there  just which law she had broken and what she was guilty of, yet he did not agree that she should be stoned, despite all the evidence supporting her guilt. 

So if Jesus did not judge someone one caught in a blatant transgression, who are we to judge others?  We are told to love our neighbour as ourselves not to judge our neighbour when he makes a mistake or breaks the law.

We need to leave it up to God to do the judging, because only He can see straight into the heart of each one of us and know the motives, the reasons, the heart behind each and every act.

James 4:11

NASB: Do not speak against one another, brethren.  He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.

The Message: Don't bad-mouth each other, friends. It's God's Word, his Message, his Royal Rule, that takes a beating in that kind of talk. You're supposed to be honouring the Message, not writing graffiti all over it. 

James here is not telling us not to judge, i.e. to confront sin, but is talking about when we pull someone apart, picking  at their motives, their lifestyle, criticising them for the things they have done or left undone.  It’s  those times when we hear what someone did or said, and we sit there in condemnation.  After all, we would never have done that or said that, we know that is a sin, specifically forbidden in the bible, how could they have done that, when it says…..  I am sure you know the type of thing I mean, although, naturally, each of us would never be guilty of this......

Right, yes, that is easy to say but how often do we truly hear what someone has done and that little voice inside pipes up in shock, horror, and amazement that they could have actually done that or said that?  It is so easy to be critical of others, to assume that no matter what the circumstances, no matter what had happened, we would never to something as bad as that.  We actually judge that person and James is telling us here that by doing this, we are judging the law, effectively setting ourselves up as better than God since it is His law on the first place.

Just look at the words of Jesus:

Matthew 22:35-40 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?  Jesus replied: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two command.'  (NIV)

If we are loving God with all our heart, all our soul and all our mind, and loving our neighbour as ourselves, then we wouldn't be critical of others.  We wouldn't  sit there in condemnation, probably without even knowing all the facts and circumstances.  Instead, we would accept our brother or sister for what they are, warts and all, just as we would hope to be accepted by others.  Yes, confront the sin, the blatant (or even the not so blatant) wrongdoing, but to sit there criticising, pulling someone apart because of their lack of morals, lack of self control, inability to keep their mouth closed or whatever we may consider to be the problem is in all reality only the pot calling the kettle black.

Matthew 7:1-5 Do not judge, or you too will be judged.  For in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?  You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (NIV)

And just look at the same verses in The Message:

Don't pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It's easy to see a smudge on your neighbour's face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, 'Let me wash your face for you,' when your own face is distorted by contempt? It's this whole travelling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbour.

That puts a whole different meaning to the words of Jesus, doesn't it ?  Are we "playing a holier than thou part" when we criticise others, find fault with what they do or say?  Do we nit pick everything others do so we can make ourselves feel better, tell others about the things so and so has done or said so they can gain an appreciation of just how good we are, and how rotten that other person is?

It is really so easy to do this, even when we don't mean to.  It is far easier to be critical of others, to see their faults, their failures than their successes, the things they do well despite their struggles, their circumstances.  We need to look at others through the eyes of Jesus, not the eyes of the devil.  Jesus looked at the woman caught in adultery and did not condemn her.  He looked at her with eyes of love, compassion, mercy and told her to go and sin no more (John 11:1).  Jesus looks at us, and others, with the eyes of love, but the devil looks with eyes of hate.

How are your eyes going to look today?  Will you choose to look on others, no matter what they have done or said, with eyes of love, or are you going to look at others through the eyes of the devil, with hate, judgment and condemnation in your heart?

….in the same way as you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.  (Matthew 7:2, NIV)

James 4:10

NIV: Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

The Message: Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.

This is a admonition to remember exactly who we are in the overall scale of things.  We are men and women, created by God, the Creator of all things seen and unseen, in the earth and heaven above.  We need to get on our knees more, to be less full of our own self importance but full of the love and grace of God, to let His glory shine through all that we do, not our own feelings of self worth.

So it is a case of getting things into perspective, of realising that we are so minuscule, so unimportant by comparison to God that we are really not worth considering.  Yet God in all his graciousness and mercy has chosen to love us, each and every one of us, no matter who we are or what we have done. 

Psalm 8:5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. (KJV)

Imagine that!  It doesn't matter who we are, what our position in society is, whether we have a high powered job, a menial, low paid job,  or even no job at all.  We can have pots of money, or no money at all, we can be the most hardened criminal or the person who always obeys each and every rule to the nth degree.  We can be totally full of pride and be self centred, not caring about anybody else, or we can be the equivalent of Mother Theresa to those in need.  Whoever and whatever we are, whatever we have done, good or bad, God loves each and every one of us. 

The Father of all mankind, the one who created the heavens and earth, fish and fowl, plants and trees, who put the stars in the sky, the planets in their orbits, He is the one who chose to love each and every one of us.  He is so great, so awesome, so powerful, so amazing, so majestic, so full of authority and power, with dominion over everything, the one for whom nothing is impossible, and yet, from all the things He could do, He chose to create us, to give us life, and to love us. 

It's a case of looking at things in perspective, seeing just how mighty and awesome God is in comparison to us.  How He could and would never do anything bad, yet look at what each one of us does every day - lying, cheating, committing adultery, losing our tempers, being selfish and self centred, having no thought or care for anyone else…. the list goes on and is never ending of all the mean and rotten things we each do. 

When I think of the majesty of God, of all that He is, and has done, and just how much He loves me, I am in awe, absolute awe.  For who am  that God should so love me?  Who is man, that God should have created the earth for us to live in? 

No wonder James tells us to humble ourselves.  For it is only by humbling ourselves we can truly appreciate who God is and He has done, all that He can do, for He is worthy to receive the honour, the power and the glory.   For when  we humble ourselves, we are not putting our self first, our wants our needs, thinking of ourselves as more important than we really are.  It is easy to become full of our own self importance, filled with a sense of our own worth.  After all, we spent all those years at college gaining those qualifications, or all that time in that job learning all those essential skills that others struggle to grasp.  We have a nice house, paid for with the work of our hands, a loving family.  Maybe we have a successful and growing ministry, or are a gifted prophet that people look up to and respect, or maybe we have a position of standing in the community, we are respected by the townspeople and when we talk, others listen.

It is so easy to become filled with self importance and when we do this, where is God?  We end up pushing him to one side as we think more highly of ourselves than we should and God ends up being totally ignored. 

Obviously, this doesn't happen overnight, we are not humble one day and proud and conceited the next.  But how often do we do something and feel pleased because we did a good job, especially if it is something that others were having problems with?  What about if we do something and it is as fi we were born to do it?  Maybe we are a natural speaker and we can really inspire those to whom we are speaking.  Perhaps we are able to pray such powerful prayers others are humbled and in awe of our capabilities.  Or maybe we are a gifted teacher and can explain the most intricate of problems in such a way that everyone can understand. 

But who gave us the ability to speak in public clearly and concisely, the gift of intercession, the skill of being able to explain things to others without making them feel like an idiot?  All gifts come from God, and He is the one who deserves the praise, the reward, not us, for all we are doing is using something that He gave us.

We need to keep things in perspective, not get too big for our own boots and to humble ourselves before the Lord, and then He will lift us up.

James 4:9

NIV: Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.

The Message:  Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious.

This is all about getting serious with God, not messing around and treating life, and sin, as if it is all one big joke.

It’s easy to just carry on regardless, never really thinking about all the sin in the world, all the sin each of us commits every single day.  After all, why worry about what may never happen when you can just enjoy the moment, carpe diem and all that?  Life goes on and it is so very easy to never give God a thought, to get embroiled in the pleasures and cares of life, so wrapped up in our own lives that we never give a thought for others, let alone God.

So this is a reminder from James that we need to get serious about life, about sin.  It means we should take notice of the things we do that are wrong, listen to that little voice inside that tells us when we are about to do something we shouldn't, or points out that we have just done something wrong.

It doesn't mean we spend the rest of our life on a guilt trip, watching each and every word we say, everything we do and continually beating ourselves up when we get it wrong.  Because after all, we all know that it is not a case of if we mess up, but when we mess up.  We are all going to sin sooner or later, despite our best intentions.  Remember Paul telling us that even though he tries to do good, to not sin, he fails?

Romans 7: 21-24 It happens so regularly that it's predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God's commands, but it's pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.  I've tried everything and nothing helps. I'm at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn't that the real question? (The Message)

 I've been reading "Practising the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence recently.  He was a monk from the 17th century who practised the presence of God.  In other words, he spent his life in communion with God, like one continual conversation throughout each and every day with God.  So He didn't just talk to God on Sunday mornings when he attended the service, or on odd occasions during the week when he remembered to pray.  No, his whole life  became such that he was always talking to God, no matter what he was doing - washing dishes, peeling potatoes, when doing the most mundane of tasks and when doing the most important of tasks.  If ever he forgot about God, because ehe became so wrapped up in what he was doing, who he was taking to, when the busyness of life took over, he just asked God's forgiveness, thanked him, and moved on.

I reckon that's what we need to do, to get serious about God and live our lives as if He is beside us, walking with us, talking with us, each and every moment.  Yes, I know God is with us always, but realistically, exactly how many of us act as if He is?  We let the moment distract us, we let the busyness of life fill our hearts, minds and senses, and God gets pushed to one side, shoved out of the way whilst we try to cope with the troubles and worries of life, with work, with friends, family, with our needs and everyone else's needs.

God created us:

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them (NIV)

Revelation 4:11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created (KJV)

He created us in His image, designed to be pure and holy, because it was His pleasure.  It pleased Him to do so.  And why?  What was the purpose?  Look at what He did with Adam and Eve:

Genesis 3:8  And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…(KJV)

Isn't that just amazing?  God walked in the garden of Eden in the cool of the day and spend time with Adam and Eve.  Ok, in this particular verse, Adam and Eve ended up hiding from God because they had disobeyed Him, but this was obviously not just a one off (the walking in the garden, that is!).  Otherwise,  there would be something here to let us know that this was an unusual occurrence,. Something that had not happened before.  But no, it just says that God walked in the garden in the cool of the day.  He wanted to spend time with Adam, with Eve, with man, just as He wants to spend time with each of us today.

Yet so many turn their back on God, refuse to listen to Him, or acknowledge His very existence.  But we were created to be like God, to spend time with Him, fellowship with Him, spend eternity with Him.  So what happens when we turn our backs on God?  When we refuse to see the hand of God in all that is around us?  When we deny His existence, believe that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is a myth, that the Holy Spirit is just fiction?  When we choose to go our own way all the time, ignoring the inner voice that tells us not to sleep around, take drugs, steal, kill, lie, cheat and so on?  When we behave as if the world is our oyster and everything is there for our own pleasure if only we just reach out and take it?  When what we want is the aim of everything we do?

Then in that case, when we totally reject God, and refuse to receive His Son as our Lord and Saviour, then our names will not be found written in the Lamb's book of life.  We will be doomed to spend eternity in the lake of burning fire:

Revelation 20:15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire (NIV)

So yes, take heed to the words of James and start to get serious about God, because the consequences of not doing so are eternal and everlasting.

James 4:8

NIV: Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

The Message: Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life.

Quit playing the field.

Come near to God and He will come near to you. I always think these words just show how much of a gentleman God is. He will not force Himself on you, make you follow Him, worship Him, love Him. Yes, that is what He wants but it has to be voluntary. Something you do of your own free will and not something you do because you feel obliged, because it is the right thing to do, or everyone you know is doing it and you want to fit in.

But not only does it involve wanting on our part, it also involves moving. We need to draw close to God, and going back to the trusty Oxford English dictionary, you can see that this means:

• verb (past drew; past part. drawn) 1 produce (a picture or diagram) by making lines and marks on paper. 2 produce (a line) on a surface. 3 pull or drag (a vehicle) so as to make it follow behind. 4 pull or move in a specified direction. 5 pull (curtains) shut or open. 6 arrive at a point in time: the campaign drew to a close. 7 extract from a container or receptacle: he drew his gun. 8 take in (a breath). 9 be the cause of (a specified response). attract to a place or an event. induce to reveal or do something. reach (a conclusion) by deduction or inference. (draw on) suck smoke from (a cigarette or pipe). finish (a contest or game) with an even score.

So it is a case of moving towards God, not just standing still and expecting God to do all the work. The above definition actually says "pull or move in a specified direction." So God is gently pulling us (but, like I said above, He will not force us against our will, this all has to be voluntary) and we need to move towards Him. Have you never felt the pull to find out more, to see whether or not what people say about Jesus is right or not? Or maybe someone has told you what goes on in their church and you are interested in finding out more? Maybe you have seen the changes in friends, relatives when they become a Christian and start wondering what has caused those changes. All this, and more, is God pulling.

The previous verses told us how we can come close to God:

• Humble ourselves
• Submit to God
• Resist the devil
• Wash our hands
• Purify our hearts
• Don't be hypocrites

We need to be humble, to accept God's authority and will for our lives. This is not always easy when many times, we want our own way, we think we know best and can do what we like, when we like. Giving the authority to God, or to anyone in fact, involves sacrifice on our part as we put what God wants first. But isn't it better to bow down before God rather than worship and honour drugs, sex, money, fame, position, power, people, the things of this world?

We need to submit to God, and that means obeying. We need to stop going our own way and start listening to God, find out what His will is for our lives. And yes, I know it is easy to carry on, try to muddle along as best we can, going our own way, trying to "do good" or be a "nice person" and the turning to God when it all goes pear shaped. But God's plans for us are better than anything we could ever dream of for ourselves.

Then resist the devil, which involves putting on all of our spiritual armour and actually using it. Not just saying the words, but really believing in our hearts that we are in a battle (which we are) and using the Word of God to attack, not just to defend. Pray the word of God, don't just recite the words or read them without really taking them in, but use them as the weapon they were designed to be.

We need to wash our hands to symbolise cleanliness, getting rid of all our sins. Remember Pilate washing his hands before Jesus and then condemning him to die on the cross (Matthew 27:24)? He was removing from himself all guilt, all blame. We need to symbolically wash our hands, to get rid of all the dirt, the grime, the sin in our lives. This means turning over a new leaf, no longer using drugs, sleeping around, drinking to excess, and so on. Change our outward behaviour.

The purify our hearts, change our inward behaviour, our thoughts, our desires, our motives. Replace the carnal thoughts we have with thoughts that come from God, immerse ourselves in God's word. That doesn't mean we have to read the bible, and only the bible, or only watch God tv and nothing else. But it may involve changing what we read or watch, moderating our language, deliberately turning our thoughts away from things that are not of God, refusing to allow ourselves to think of x, y or z if we know that will cause us to sin.

And finally, don't be double minded, don't be hypocritical. Don't say one thing and do another. One of the many reasons the church has a bad name is because of church leaders who have been found out leading a double life. They have been caught out in an adulterous affair or found to be in a homosexual relationship, defrauded the taxman or even used money given to the church to fund a lavish lifestyle. We will be caught out sooner or later if our words and our walk do not match up.

My family, who are not believers, are always watching out for this in me. As a classic example, there was one day when I yelled upstairs to my daughter to tell her tea was on the table going cold, and then I walked back into the kitchen and carried on dishing it out on the plates on the worktop. One of my sons looked up and then asked me whether I had just told a lie to his sister by telling her tea was on the table when it clearly was not, and then went on to tell me that he didn't think Christians were supposed to lie…..Yes, he was only teasing me, but it just goes to show that even when you don't think people are watching or listening, or seeing how you react, how you behave, they are. What we do, how we speak, how we behave reflects not only on us but on the God we serve.

So keep these words of James close to your heart and as it says in the Message, say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field.

James 4:7

NIV: Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The Message: So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper.

This sounds so straightforward, doesn't it? Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee. Yet in real life, we each have troubles, worries, ill health and all sorts. Some of this may be just life, circumstances, but some of it may well be spiritual attack, and what do you do then if despite your best efforts at submitting and resisting, things go from bad to worse?

Looking at the Oxford English Dictionary, this is the definition of submit:

submit

• verb (submitted, submitting) 1 accept or yield to a superior force or stronger person. 2 subject to a particular process, treatment, or condition. 3 present (a proposal or application) for consideration or judgement. 4 (especially in judicial contexts) suggest; argue.

Accept or yield to a superior force or person. So this is all about obeying God, submitting to His will for our lives, following His way. Somewhat like being in the army when you have to follow the orders of your superior officer. So no matter what is happening in our lives, we need to trust in God, trust that He knows best no matter what the circumstances.

Imagine being in the army fighting a war. You’re out there on a mission led by an officer. The enemy are all around you and the officer is issuing orders to enable you all to fight your way out, hopefully successfully. So what do you and the rest of the men do? Stop and question the officer? Have a group discussion about whether you should take a stand on this hill, or in that grove? Question whether some of the men should be left behind the trees or whether they should be at the front taking cover behind a dip in the road? Do you start telling the officer he is completely wrong and it should be done this way, that way, or another way?

No, you are in the army, trained to obey orders. No matter what you may think of those orders, whether you agree with the officer's decision or not, you are trained to obey. You have to trust the officer, he has the training and may well know far more about the situation you are in than you do. Also, you have to obey because otherwise, you'd be up on a disciplinary charge, possibly court-martialled.

Yes, I know this is simplifying things, and you can probably tell the closest I've been to being in the army is reading of soldiers' exploits in a book, but the principle is true when it comes down to us and God. He is our commanding officer, and whether we like his orders or not, whether we think we know better or not, we should obey. But so often, we think we know better, we think we can cope on our own, manage without bothering God, because after all, he's got more important things to worry about than sorting out our finances, our health, our marital problems, trouble with the children, with the neighbours, problems at work/school/college and all those other things that may be troubling us.

In actual fact, when we do this, when we try and cope on our own, we are actually ignoring God, rejecting His help, His support, demeaning Him by effectively saying He can't get us out of the mess we are in, so why bother Him in the first place. We're really saying that God isn't powerful enough to help. What does God tell us?

Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Deuteronomy 33:26 There is no-one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty.

Psalm 18:6 In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears.

Palm 22:24 For he has not despised or disdained the suffering of the afflicted one; he has not hidden his face from him but has listened to his cry for help

Isaiah 58:9 Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.

Mark 10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need

*all the above taken from the NIV

We are told to lay everything before God. Not just the big things or the ones we think we can't handle, or the things that we consider too trivial for God to be bothered with. Each and every single one of our burdens we are told to lay before Jesus, and He will give us rest. This means the worries about money, about paying the bills, getting/keeping a job, exam worries, concerns over loved ones, health problems. It also means things like finding a car parking space on market day, having no traffic holdups on a long journey, being able to sort out what to do on a job without spending ages trying different solutions, and all those million and one other things we each do every day. And why? Because for God, nothing is impossible, absolutely nothing. He can heal, He can provide the finances, the support, the comfort.

It's not a case of submitting to God on Sundays and going our own way the rest of the week, or only listening to God when the sun is shining, or when we remember. No, this is something we need to be doing all the time, each and every day, not as and when we choose. After all, in an army, how would it be if the men only obeyed the officers when they felt like it, or when they remembered to obey? It needs to be something that is second nature, that we do all the time consciously and subconsciously.

And what happens when we submit to God? When we give Him the authority, the control in our lives, when we look to Him for to supply all we need? We are no longer relying on our own abilities, our own strengths and weaknesses, but we are relying, depending, on God's and for God, nothing is impossible, nothing. The great thing is, we don't have to worry about what we can do to sort out finances, a situation, health and so on, because as Paul tells us:

Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (NASB)

That means you, me, we can all do all things through Christ who strengthens us.

As Christians, we really need to start trusting God more and to stop relying on our own capabilities. We will never match up to what God can do for us, and when we become Christians, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit, Christ and God are three in one, one in three, indivisible, that means we have Christ, we have God living within us. I know it all sounds a bit like the three musketeers or something out of Star Trek, but what it boils down to is that God lives within each one of us and when we really believe this,. When we know in our heart of hearts that we have been given the power, the authority from Christ to do the things He did whilst on earth, and more:

John 14:12 I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works (NLT)

We have been given the same power that Jesus has, the same power that was used by God to resurrect Jesus:

Ephesians 1:18-21 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

So we need to submit to God, to really believe the word of God, the bible, and use the power we have been given. Resist the devil, using the power and the faith we have, and he will flee. It is not a case of him going away tomorrow, next week, next year or in twenty years time. When we resist the devil using the power and authority we have been given in Christ Jesus, when we put our faith into action and actually use the a sword of the Word of God, then the devil will flee. He will have no alternative because he has no authority over believers unless we give it to him.