The Separation of Godliness and Worldliness
James 4:1-4, 7-10
Pride Promotes Strife
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. *Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 *Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Humility Cures Worldliness
7 Therefore submit 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 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
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These verses from my "quiet time" really hit home with me today. It just really redefined my relationship with God, and my relationship with things of the world. In my mind I have always tried to justify a balance between God and things of the world, because I enjoy them both. However, as I read the verses above I developed an understanding that the devil tries to tempt us with things of the world, and if we are not careful or if we put to much emphasis on the things of the world, we may find ourselves consumed by them to the point that they take the place of God in our lives.
The bible does not tell us to "forget" about the things of the world, but it does tell us that we need to remember who is #1 in our lives. I know that so many times I have caught myself living my life separate from God. And it isn't until I find myself completely off the beaten path that I realize where I am. At those moments, I also realize that the reason I got to that point in my life is because I allowed something else to take the place of God in my life. I allowed something else to direct my actions and passions.
It is my prayer that each of us can find the balance between our passion for a relationship with Jesus Christ, and our "wants" for things of this world. Always keeping in mind that the devil is right there to tempt us with the things of the world, trying to take us away from the relationship that God has in store for each and every one of his children.
Pride Promotes Strife
1 Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. *Yet you do not have because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 *Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
Humility Cures Worldliness
7 Therefore submit 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 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
___________________________________________
These verses from my "quiet time" really hit home with me today. It just really redefined my relationship with God, and my relationship with things of the world. In my mind I have always tried to justify a balance between God and things of the world, because I enjoy them both. However, as I read the verses above I developed an understanding that the devil tries to tempt us with things of the world, and if we are not careful or if we put to much emphasis on the things of the world, we may find ourselves consumed by them to the point that they take the place of God in our lives.
The bible does not tell us to "forget" about the things of the world, but it does tell us that we need to remember who is #1 in our lives. I know that so many times I have caught myself living my life separate from God. And it isn't until I find myself completely off the beaten path that I realize where I am. At those moments, I also realize that the reason I got to that point in my life is because I allowed something else to take the place of God in my life. I allowed something else to direct my actions and passions.
It is my prayer that each of us can find the balance between our passion for a relationship with Jesus Christ, and our "wants" for things of this world. Always keeping in mind that the devil is right there to tempt us with the things of the world, trying to take us away from the relationship that God has in store for each and every one of his children.
posted by Jason W. Allen at 8:51 AM
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