James 4
From our childhood, we have always wanted loving and trusting relationships.
We wanted the very best from our parents.
We wanted teachers who give their all to help us learn.
We wanted mechanics who do not cheat us, but tell us exactly what is needed to keep our cars running properly.
We wanted pastors who lead us with honesty and integrity.
We wanted spouses and friends who are loving, committed, and supportive through the highs and lows of life.
We grow up with these desires and expectations. But somewhere along the way, we are disappointed and let down. Our parents are not as loving or supportive as we thought. Not all teachers want to inspire children. Some mechanics do cheat people. Pastors violate our trust. Spouses and friends hurt us and leave us at our most vulnerable moments.
After presenting his offering to the Lord, Cain was angry over the Lord’s disapproval (Genesis 3:3-5). In His interactions with Cain, the Lord provided four things that we often experience in our lives as well: Opportunity, Warnings, Punishment, and Grace.
Isaiah 26:3 – Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
1. Life is tough. There’s so much going on around us that we feel that we are drowning without a life vest or help. We try to come up for air to take a breath from the struggles of the day, only to be pulled back into the abyss of reality. We fill stuck, trapped, and without hope. We spend our days disappointed, impatient, and frustrated. We want peace and freedom, but they seem to slip through our hands just when we think it’s in our grasp. An endless cycle of chasing peace and freedom, only to be disappointed again and again. However, there is a way to experience a perfect peace.
James 1:27 – Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
The word religion above is translated from the Greek as religious worship; especially external, that which consists of ceremonies (religious discipline).1 When the word ‘religion’ comes up in much of our society today, it comes of thoughts of a rules-based life that does not lead one closer to God. At first glance, we would feel our initial thoughts were confirmed, but when we look at James’ writing, we discover something different.
A pure religion…AND undefiled before God and the Father.
There is a religious expression that is acceptable (undefiled) before God. The word undefiled is translated from the Greek as not defiled, unsoiled; free from that by which the nature of a thing is deformed and debased, or its force and vigour impaired.2 That sounds a lot like pure and acceptable…
What is a pure religion that is undefiled before God and the Father?
In church leadership, pastors, ministers, musicians, and others that come before the church are often respected, appreciated, and supported. Their presence, anointing from God, and character/charisma can be an awe-inspiring representation of the things many hope to see in themselves and especially others (i.e. spouse). However, what begins as appreciation and thankfulness from afar can become much more within – and this is from the leader.
If the leader is not careful, they can misinterpret the person’s true intent and believe they have an ‘agenda’ to establish an intimate relationship. Some leaders would also use intimacy as a way of expressing their appreciation. They may assume there is an attraction and may even act on that assumption, not realizing that the person did not like them in that manner.
This is for both single and married leaders.
Ephesians 4:27 – Neither give place to the devil.
Giving place (or a foothold) to the devil is dangerous beyond measure. The ‘place’ you give him will leave you and those connected to you in the crosshairs of sin. When you allow the devil to be given a place within your life (via disobedience, acceptance of temptation, sin), you open a doorway for every imaginable evil spirit to enter into your life.
There may come a time when you’re angry at one situation, and begin to break laws, yell at people, and do things you normally wouldn’t if you were in your ‘right’ mind. Your willingness to allow the devil to have a place in your life will bring continued death and destruction. Isn’t that the purpose of the devil: to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10)?!
Remain with the Lord…He has come to give you life!
There are many reasons why we make the decisions we do. When we look back at the outcome of some of the decisions we made, sometimes we can’t understand how we got into such predicaments, how to get out of them, or what we can do to live as God desires. Listed below is an outline of why we make the decisions we do; the consequences behind them; and how we can make good (and godly) decisions.
1. What consumes our decision making?
- Fear of Man (Proverbs 29:25; John 12:37-43)
- Motives (Proverbs 16:2; James 4:2-3)
- Friend of the World (1 John 2:15-17)
- Emotions (Proverbs 19:2)
- Sin/Temptation (John 3:19-21)
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