I’M SAVED, NOW WHAT?
WHERE IS GOD?
There are times when God can seem so far away from us. We may have
a desire to get closer to Him, and we know He has a desire to draw near
to us, so what is standing in the way? We know that an omnipotent God
can do whatever He chooses, so the problem must be with us, right?
Come near to God and he will come near to you.
Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your
hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8)
We may have a desire to ‘come near’ to God, but are we actively doing
anything to clear the pathway for our fellowship with Him? We have
a responsibility to confess our sins, repent, change our hearts and
focus, and eliminate any hypocrisy. It is difficult to have a desire
to be in His presence when we feel dirty and stained with sin. We
can in fact, lose our desire to fellowship with Him due to our
guilty feelings.
When our hearts (aka desires) are on things that God does not approve of,
we become hypocrites with impure hearts and show that we have a lack of
desire to obey the Lord. Our longing to be in His presence is much stronger
when we feel ‘clean’ and pure (sincere and honest).
When reading this verse, we see that James uses the words ‘you sinners’.
He often uses the words ‘brothers’ and ‘sisters’ which indicate that he is
communicating with other believers. So the question is, “Is he still talking
to believers?” The answer is, yes he is.
He says they are ‘double-minded’ – what does that mean to you? Doesn’t
it sound like someone who wants to have it both ways? They have a desire
to be friends with God while holding on to the things of the world. James
says that although they are brothers and sisters in Christ, they are still
involved in sin. Look at the areas where they were failing:
They were good at hearing the Word, but not active in obeying it.
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this:
Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak
and slow to become angry, because human anger
does not produce the righteousness that God desires.
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that
is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted
in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to
the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what
it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror
and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately
forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into
the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not
forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be
blessed in what they do. (James 1:19-25)
They showed partiality toward others.
My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious
Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.
Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing
a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in
filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special
attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say,
“Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man,
“You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,”
have you not discriminated among yourselves and
become judges with evil thoughts? (James 2:1-4)
They failed to help their own brothers and sisters in need
(which can include their need to be comforted or encouraged).
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone
claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith
save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without
clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them,
“Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does
nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?
(James 2:14-16)
They praised God, yet cursed the people He created.
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and
with it we curse human beings, who have been made
in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise
and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not
be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the
same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree
bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a
salt spring produce fresh water. (James 3:9-12)
They were guilty of envy and selfish ambition.
For where you have envy and selfish ambition,
there you find disorder and every evil practice.
(James 3:16)
They allowed selfish desires to cause quarrels and fights
with others. They also neglected prayer, or tried to use
it to convince God to give them the things they wanted.
What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t
they come from your desires that battle within you?
You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet
but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel
and fight. You do not have because you do not ask
God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you
ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what
you get on your pleasures. (James 4:1-3)
They tried to be friends with God
while holding on to the world and its ways.
You adulterous people, don’t you know that
friendship with the world means enmity against
God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a
friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
(James 4:4)
They slandered one another.
Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.
Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or
judges them speaks against the law and judges it.
When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,
but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one
Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save
and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your
neighbor? (James 4:11-12)
When evaluating your own life as a believer, how do you
compare to these areas of failure? Do any of them hit too
close to home? Are there hints of any of these in your
life? If so, what do you plan to do about it?
BLOG: utvolwoody.wordpress.com
BREAD FOR BELIEVERS 
Discussion
No comments yet.