SEEKING TO PLEASE SELF"Lust" is a strong desire for a thing. Certainly, it has caused others to do wicked things. David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband, Uriah, killed to satisfy his lust. Jezebel had Naboth killed to fulfill her husband's desire to have his vineyard (2 Samuel 1... [ Continue Reading ]
STRONGLY WANTING WHAT BELONGS TO ANOTHER The first four verses of James 4:1-17 deal with worldly desire that is contrary to God's working. Verse 5 continues the thought by referring to a statement which is repeated in principle several times in the Old Testament. It is the plain teaching of scriptu... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MEANS OF OVERCOMING FLESHLY DESIRE God, in his great grace, provides a means of overcoming the fleshly desire that is the source of war and strife. He has promised to provide a way of escape from any temptation confronting his followers. He will not allow any of his children to face something th... [ Continue Reading ]
HUMBLE SELF BEFORE GOD TO BE UPLIFTED The desire for cleansing begins with sorrow for sin. It continues with one's repentance (James 4:9). Such is demonstrated by David after he acknowledged sinning with Bathsheba. He sang: Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to... [ Continue Reading ]
BRETHREN SHOULD NOT JUDGE ONE ANOTHER The verb James used in 4:11 is in the present durative tense and actually means "stop speaking evil of one another". Evidently, they had already been doing such speaking. Woods notes that evil listening should also be stopped since that encourages evil speaking... [ Continue Reading ]
"ARE YOU LISTENING?" V. E. Howard, a great gospel preacher, often stopped in the middle of an important point and asked, "Are you listening?" Usually, those who were not, begin doing so at that time. James says "Come now" to get the same effect. They were making great plans for the future without b... [ Continue Reading ]
MAN'S FUTURE DEPENDS UPON GOD We do not know what awaits us even a few minutes ahead on life's road, so we should not make plans as if we controlled our own future. The wise man said, "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth" (Proverbs 27:1). What kind of life do... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SIN OF BOASTING OF SELF-SUFFICIENCY James said some lived as though their plans in no way depended upon God and they were proud of it. Woods says the word translated "boasting" here is not used in any form in any other verse in the New Testament except for 1 John 2:16. There, John describes one... [ Continue Reading ]