Monday | James 4:1-12
James 4:1-12
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. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. 11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
What is your natural response to conflict? Some people try to avoid conflict at all costs while there are others who seem like they are looking for it. Either way, conflict is inevitable and James tells us that part of the reason we engage in conflict with one another is because of our sin (4:1). And while conflict is going to happen, what can be more important is how we respond to one another.
James tells us that we create and deal with conflict out of three reasons: emotions (desires or passions), covetousness, and worldliness. When he speaks of emotions, he’s not referring to butterflies or feelings of happiness, but bitterness, envy and pride. And when we covet, we are essentially wanting what someone else has and we are in opposition to what God has or hasn’t provided for us. Worldliness refers to the Christian’s inconsistency in lifestyle; having one foot in and one foot out.
So, then, if conflict is going to happen, sin is our cause for conflict, and everyone has a different temptation in conflict, how can we respond when it arises? Humility. Here are seven ways in which we can respond to conflict with humility:
Submission: The bible teaches us that we are going to get angry and that’s not the problem. It’s how we respond. Therefore, our submission to God is not only primary, but vital. Here, we will begin to see the condition of our heart.
Resist: The enemy’s desire is to have you go from a godly and humble response to conflict to an ungodly and proud response to conflict. Remember, if you are Christian, then the Holy Spirit dwells in you! You can stand firm against the enemy. He will flee.
Draw Near to God: This is a cry to repent of our sin. The truth is, you and I are going to blow it in conflict, but we before we will have sinned against one another, we will have sinned against God himself (Psalm 51:4). Drawing near restores us Jesus and reminds us of His grace for us.
Cleanse and Purify: James addresses our behavior AND our character and calls us to repent of external behavior (deeds) and to repent of our internal attitude of our heart that leads to behavior. What we say or do isn’t random, but a result of the condition of our heart.
Mourn Your Sin: Take your sin seriously and see it for what it is and does. Sin causes separation from God. When we don’t take it seriously and shrug it off, we are like the fool in Proverbs.
Exaltation: Our spiritual strength is not through our own strength or effort, but by giving or surrendering ourselves to God first.
Worship: In or after conflict was risen, we can pursue reconciliation with one another because justice has already been served by Jesus on the cross for us and paid in full by Jesus in our place. Who we are is not marked by who we were, but by what Jesus has done and is doing in and through us.
Christian, I know conflict is uncomfortable and it doesn’t always go well. But we are not one another’s enemy. However, we do have an enemy and part of his goal is not only separation from God and one another, but that we respond and act worldly. Today, resist him and pursue reconciliation with your brother or sister. Do not delay.