Pastor Chris’ Corona Quarantine Epistles to the Flock of AIC Ngong Road, in Dispersion and Isolation. 59th. Edition.
Dear Flock of God, which He bought with His own Blood,
Our passage today (James 4:7-10) tells us how to deal with the pitfall of pride that we looked at in the previous passage. Relinquish Control to God (vv. 7a, 10). Yielding or submitting to God is a move away from the pride that invites God’s opposition. When we surrender our rights to God, we cede all glory to him. We no longer do things to be seen by men, to gain their praise, or to curry their favor. When we do that, God elevates us! This echoes the words of Jesus in Matthew 23:12. We earn exaltation through humility, and the opposite is equally true. This also resonates with the teachings of Peter in 1 Peter 5:5-6.
Resist the Devil (v. 7b). When I was in high school, we joked that the easiest way to deal with temptation is to yield. Easy is definitely not best, though. Earlier (1:14-15) we saw the tragic results of yielding to temptation. Temptation can be very persuasive, but if we resist, the devil will give up and wait for another opportunity (Luke 4:13). We may think our situation is unique and the temptation impossible to resist, but other people go through the same and God gives us the ability to resist (1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 Peter 5:8-10). Retrace your Steps to God (v. 8a). If we have distanced ourselves from God, and this happens when we yield to sin, it is time to draw near again. At times we feel so unworthy that we are sure God will have nothing to do with us. But whenever we draw near to him, God always draws near to us. He will not reject anyone who seeks him, no matter how sinful (Matthew 11:28; Isaiah 1:18).
Repent Before God (vv. 8b-9). True repentance seeks purification from all wrong. We encountered double-mindedness before (1:8). Then, it had to do with doubt. Here, it has to do with what the English call “wanting to have one’s cake and eating it.” It is a case of one wanting the blessing and favor of God, while still indulging in sin. The folly of such a wish should be plain to see. Our sorrow for sin should be such that our mood is funereal. Until we appreciate how much our sin hurts God, our repentance remains superficial. It all goes back to drawing near to God.
The better we get to know him, the more we appreciate his holiness and aversion to all sin and impurity. Our prayer should echo that of David, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10).
Your loving Pastor Chris.