Author: Ben Bourland

Today I left the PNW and traveled to Raleigh/Durham (RDU) for a weeklong business trip just south of Fort Bragg. I left the house at 6:20AM PST this morning, left SeaTac at 9:40AM, arrived RDU at 6:00PM EST and then drove 1.5 hours to my hotel just south of Fayetteville, NC. I’ll travel back home next Sunday. So, here I am at 12:10AM EST pretty much awake.

Tonight, I am finishing out James 4 with this little passage on our human expectations that tomorrow will always come, that there will always be a sunrise to wake up to. James helps us to put this mindset into a perspective of Eternity and God’s Hand that guides our lives while we are here under the sun.

13 Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city and spend a year there and carry on our business and make money.
14 Yet you do not know [the least thing] about what may happen tomorrow. What is the nature of your life? You are [really] but a wisp of vapor (a puff of smoke, a mist) that is visible for a little while and then disappears [into thin air].
15 You ought instead to say, If the Lord is willing, we shall live and we shall do this or that [thing].
16 But as it is, you boast [falsely] in your presumption and your self-conceit. All such boasting is wrong.
17 So any person who knows what is right to do but does not do it, to him it is sin. James 4:13-17 [AMP]

James is calling out those who think through and plan out their future…wait, we ALL do this! I do this! I have a 5-8 year glidepath I am planning through my work as I read this! This is a natural thought process, right? It is responsible to think through and plan how we are going to set out what is next in our lives, right? Well, James tells us that this is the wrong mindset when we commit to setting out to achieve these plans by our own efforts…what he is trying to say is “you executing this plan may not be what God has for you!” That our hearts can plan but it should be with a countenance that it is God’s decision whether we truly end up fulfilling those plans or not. If we stay too stuck to our plans then 1) we miss what God is wanting to do with us during that time period or 2) we will be fraught with frustration because God is going to do His will in our lives anyway and we will just find our plans constantly at odds with His plan.

James calls this a ‘Boastfulness’, a heart of self-sufficiency that leaves God’s plans out of the planning period. James is just suggesting that our ‘hearts’ be directed toward what God wants to do and even though we may make plans (because we are not God), we need to have a heart that understands that our best laid plans may need to adapt to God’s plan for us as we see Him revealing those plans through His hand and actions in our lives. James leaves us with the person who lays out their plans and then when God shows them a different direction, they intentionally choose the direction that was established in their plan…this is sin!

Application:

Today I need to start living this way! Pray before I plan and in my heart of prayer, make it clear to the Lord that I WANT His plan for my life; however, in the vacuum of this unknowingness, I will responsibly plan but with a full deliberate request for God’s wisdom in my planning (with the belief that my plan will be His plan) or have a keen ear of listening to God when He is changing up my plan and free willingness (if not pursuit) to follow where He is leading.

11 [My] brethren, do not speak evil about or accuse one another. He that maligns a brother or judges his brother is maligning and criticizing the Law and judging the Law. But if you judge the Law, you are not a practicer of the Law but a censor and judge [of it].
12 One only is the Lawgiver and Judge Who is able to save and to destroy [the One Who has the absolute power of life and death]. [But you] who are you that [you presume to] pass judgment on your neighbor? James 4:11-12 [AMP]

I am pretty sure that this passage is primarily talking about the kind of inner-church debates that too often degenerate into name-calling and even the questioning of one another’s Christian convictions. James’ justification for his prohibition is interesting -> to speak against or to judge one’s brother or sister is to speak against or to judge the law. The law to which James refers, in light of his usage of the word elsewhere in the letter, is the Old Testament law.

16 You shall not go up and down as a dispenser of gossip and scandal among your people, nor shall you [secure yourself by false testimony or by silence and] endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:16 [AMP]

How is it that ‘judging’ a fellow believer involves sitting in judgment on this law? Since James contrasts ‘judging the law’ with keeping the law, he apparently thinks that failure to ‘do the law’ involves an implicit denial of the law’s authority. However high and orthodox our view of God’s law might be, a failure actually to do it says to the world that we do not in fact put much respect to it.

For verse 12 I am going to copy the commentary I read on this topic. I don’t want to take credit for my learning on this one.

Speaking evil of fellow-Christians is wrong not only because it involves ‘judging the law’; it is wrong also because it involves ‘judging the neighbor’. And this critical, condemnatory judgment involves both disobedience of the demand that we love the neighbour and an arrogant presumption on the rights of God himself. For he is the one Lawgiver and Judge who alone has the right to determine the eternal fate of his creatures (cf. also Matt. 10:28). Yet when we criticize and condemn others, we are in fact pronouncing our own verdict over their spiritual destiny.

Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: James (2015)

8b [Recognize that you are] sinners, get your soiled hands clean; [realize that you have been disloyal] wavering individuals with divided interests, and purify your hearts [of your spiritual adultery].
9 [As you draw near to God] be deeply penitent and grieve, even weep [over your disloyalty]. Let your laughter be turned to grief and your mirth to dejection and heartfelt shame [for your sins].
10 Humble yourselves [feeling very insignificant] in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you [He will lift you up and make your lives significant]. James 4:8-10 [AMP]

This passage comes directly after “Come close to God and He will come close to you…” What really hit me was that this ‘Brokenness’ is an aspect of ‘coming close to God’. I read this book called “Brokenness: The Heart God Revives” and it is so applicable to this passage today. The book primarily talks about the fact that in many cases Brokenness is the start of revival, and it is infectious when it happens. The book recalls a conference that the Author attended where the primary speaker came up on the opening keynote and poured out their confession of sin, guilt/shame they were carrying, and literally wept in front of all of these people in their grief over disappointing their Lord and Savior. What happened next was that person after person came up on stage in front of the mic and did the same thing regarding their sin. The conference organizers were obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit and let the confessions go on and essentially canceled the rest of the planned content. Can you imagine? So, that is the mindset I am drawn to in this passage today. What do I have as unconfessed/unrepentant sin that I need to be in recognition of, to grieve, and to be somber over how what I have done has drawn me away from God.

Today has already been a day of preparation; getting ready for our guests as we celebrate through Thanksgiving.

Today I spent time pouring over several verses on ‘Thanksgiving’ to set in the attitude for the rest of the day.

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 [ESV]

Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7 [ESV]

34 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever! 1 Chronicles 16:34 [ESV]

As the head of my household, I feel responsible for reminding my friends and family who will be joining us tonight, what the real reason is for this day as we eat and fellowship with one another. God in His goodness and mercy has seen fit to put us right here where we are, in this place in time, to be a light in the darkness, and salt to the earth. Our world with it secular worldview, is not tolerant of a God-based mindset and faith. However, we are called to live for God alone and in doing so, through obedience to His Word, will show how God can change the human heart. How to push the focus from ‘Self’ to be applied to those around us as we are called to serve.

I am reminded of the 2 greatest commandments:

1. Love the Lord your God with all of your Soul, Mind, and Strength.
2. Love/Serve your neighbor as you would want to be loved/served.

Today is a day to be thankful for Who God is and the providence and sovereignty He wields as an all-powerful God. It is also a day of prayer; praying that the Holy Spirit would make us aware of His movement around us so that He is able to grow our faith and keep our eyes set on what He does…not what we do and how what we do is seen by others. We should Fear God and only think about what we can do to glorify Him in every aspect of our life here under the sun.

Day before Thanksgiving and will have a busy day. Also, today I need to finish my trimester self-performance review where I look back on what I accomplished at work, what I plan to do going forward, and development areas I have identified for myself. As a manager, I look forward to the task of filling the manager portion out for my employees. My time in prayer here just before this time reflecting on this one verse, I was overwhelmed with the gratitude I have for not only my Savior, but also for all that God has given me; in my health, my friends, my family, my job, and my home. I literally have nothing to complain about.

So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you. James 4:7 [AMP]

One small verse today that packs soooooo much punch. The biggest takeaway from the verse is the ‘Order’.

1. Be ‘Subject’ to God
2. Resist the devil

Be SUBJECT to God

This really just another way of saying be humble and fear God. Whenever you see ‘fear God’ the type of fear that is being referenced is usually a fear of disappointment/disapproval. This whole passage starting here in verse 7 reflects back on Proverbs.

34 Though He [God] scoffs at the scoffers and scorns the scorners, yet He gives His undeserved favor to the low [in rank], the humble, and the afflicted. Proverbs 3:34 [AMP]

God gives His grace (unmerited goodness and favor) to those who are humble. So, when I see this ‘Be Subject’ it is calling me to disown my self-sufficiency. To lean directly into the cloak of my Father in Heaven for all of my needs, comfort, worth, and safety. Here on the earth (under the sun), it is hard to do this with all of the distractions this world throws at us. The ruler of that world is…the devil. James says that when I am subject to God I then need to resist the devil.

Resist the devil

The devil is, above all, the ‘tempter’ (Matt. 4:3; 1 Thess. 3:5), seeking always to separate God and human beings. We as Christians must resist this separation. When we do, James promises that the devil will flee from us. Whatever power satan may have, we can be absolutely certain that we have been given the ability to overcome that power.

Additionally, I think this being subject to God means that we are prayerfully living our life immersed in His Word to understand Him better. As we understand God better, His character and His commands, we can better identify the devil to resist him and the separation he sets out to achieve.

Application

Continue to be in God’s Word every day. Hide God’s Word in my heart and meditate on it throughout each day. Actively resist the devil. Be watchful and not lulled by the world’s opinion on eternal matters.

My first ‘real’ day off from work for this week and it was so nice to just relax…and bake bread. My father in-law really likes the homemade bread, so I kicked up my sourdough starter a little over a week ago in prep. I baked 2 loaves today and have another batch ‘bulk rising’ as I type this. Tomorrow is Turkey dinner prep day, and I am so excited to have the crew over and enjoy a good meal; being grateful for all the Lord has done for us this year.

5 Or do you suppose that the Scripture is speaking to no purpose that says, The Spirit Whom He has caused to dwell in us yearns over us and He yearns for the Spirit [to be welcome] with a jealous love?
6 But He gives us more and more grace (power of the Holy Spirit, to meet this evil tendency and all others fully). That is why He says, God sets Himself against the proud and haughty, but gives grace [continually] to the lowly (those who are humble enough to receive it). James 4:5-6 [AMP]

These two verses warrant a quick speed bump to address. They are some of the most widely debated in terms of interpretation in James’ letter. It is not clear where in the Old Testament (Scripture) James is referring to but the leading interpretation (Thank you Tyndale Commentary) of the second part of verse 5 is -> God jealously longs for the spirit/Spirit he has caused to dwell in us. In other words…God wants our full heart (all of who we are) and He jealously (positive) want to be the only focus. Afterall, He is the one Who put His Holy Spirit in us when we came to Salvation through our belief in His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.

God has a claim on us by virtue of His work in our lives. Our God is ‘a consuming fire’ and His demands on us may seem terrifying. But our God is also merciful, gracious, all-loving, and willingly supplies all that we need to meet his all-encompassing demands. God’s gift of sustaining grace can be received only by those willing to admit their need and accept the gift. The proud, on the other hand, meet only resistance from God.

Application: I stand to receive all that I can possibly receive from God by giving my ‘whole self’ to Him. Not only that but my whole family will stand to be beneficiaries of the goodness that comes when I surrender all that I am to the Creator. God demands everything but just as verse 6 says -> God gives what He demands; meaning that He will help me achieve in giving what He asks of me…BUT! It takes my willing humble spirit otherwise God will set Himself against my proud heart.

Last night the in-laws flew in and are staying with us for a week. So thankful to have them here for Thanksgiving!

3 [Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures.
4 You [are like] unfaithful wives [having illicit love affairs with the world and breaking your marriage vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world takes his stand as an enemy of God. James 4:3-4 [AMP]

Remember, yesterday we covered James 4:1&2 which is a narrative on there being strife in the world because people are jealous and covet what other people have; when people’s desires go unfulfilled, there is due to be conflict because a sinful heart has no way (other than God) to redeem itself and set it apart. The end of verse 2 completes this thought with “You do not have, because you do not ask.”

So here in verse 3, the scholars who provided us the Amplified interpretation preface with “or”. This is where we start today.

James teaches us that even when we do ask God for something, we do so to fulfill a personal desire rather than to choose to operate under God’s desires. In these cases, God is likely to deny us the request. We can’t fool God and we can’t con Him into believing we are asking for something for righteous reasons when we’re not. Verse 4 goes further to compare this person (the one asking for something with the wrong reasons and ultimately to fulfill our own desires) to an adulterer or adulteress, breaking our marriage vow to God Himself.

Then James lays down a big one -> “Do you not know that being the world’s friend is being God’s enemy?”. Ouch!! He then repeats it against saying that whoever chooses to be a friend to the world SETS HIMSELF as an enemy of God!

Application: What are my motives when I ask God for something…or even when I ask Him for wisdom in making a decision for something (like a new car or house)? Are those motives structured around an impact here on earth or a Heavenly Kingdom impact?

These passages in James are so full of goodness to apply to our sanctification.  James knows with wisdom from chapter 3 of his letter that the strife we have in this world is all attributed to the desire for ‘x’ (put anything but God in the ‘x’).  It’s either something we don’t have that we want or something someone else has that we want.  The selfishness of our culture is beyond words.  However, even when you look at how wars are started, it is always over wanting ‘more’.  It’s the ending of verse 2 that kills me.  “You do not have, because you do not ask.”  Now I know where James goes in Verse 3 but I want to camp out here for a second.  

​1 WHAT LEADS to strife (discord and feuds) and how do conflicts (quarrels and fightings) originate among you? Do they not arise from your sensual desires that are ever warring in your bodily members?
2 You are jealous and covet [what others have] and your desires go unfulfilled; [so] you become murderers. [To hate is to murder as far as your hearts are concerned.] You burn with envy and anger and are not able to obtain [the gratification, the contentment, and the happiness that you seek], so you fight and war. You do not have, because you do not ask. James 4:1-2 [AMP]

One of my biggest issues is self-sufficiency.  I always go to how I can fix, how can I attain, how can I….?  Rarely does it go to ‘Can God fix this, would God will that I have, or how can God…’?  I always heard this saying and goes something like this, “Search after and love God with your whole mind, heart, and strength, and then do whatever you want…. because, what you will be wanting is what God wants, you will be hearing His voice in your life, seeing His hand moving, and His Holy Spirit will be working in you.  I know this is where James is going with this, but I just can help but dwell here in verses 1 and 2 and do the same thing you did—look at the world and all of its problems…and the whole set of reasons are right here in 2 verses.

​1 WHAT LEADS to strife (discord and feuds) and how do conflicts (quarrels and fightings) originate among you? Do they not arise from your sensual desires that are ever warring in your bodily members?
2 You are jealous and covet [what others have] and your desires go unfulfilled; [so] you become murderers. [To hate is to murder as far as your hearts are concerned.] You burn with envy and anger and are not able to obtain [the gratification, the contentment, and the happiness that you seek], so you fight and war. You do not have, because you do not ask. James 4:1-2 [AMP]

‘I have often wondered that persons who make boast of professing the Christian religion – namely love, joy, peace, temperance, and charity to all men – should quarrel with such rancorous animosity, and display daily towards one another such bitter hatred, that this, rather than the virtues which they profess, is the readiest criteria of their faith.’

17th Century Jewish Philosopher Benedict de Spinoza

It seems that James is more bothered by the selfish spirit and bitterness of such quarrels than by the rights and wrongs of the various viewpoints. The source of these are the desires that battle within each one of us. We also see James’ point here reinforced in Peter’s letters as well:

Beloved, I implore you as aliens and strangers and exiles [in this world] to abstain from the sensual urges (the evil desires, the passions of the flesh, your lower nature) that wage war against the soul. 1 Peter 2:11

In James’ day, the arguments and conflicts that were disrupting Christian fellowship could not be ascribed to righteous passion or justifiable zeal; it was selfish, indulgent desire that was responsible. When we look at these verses and distill it down, we find that he is saying this:

• You desire but do not have, so you kill.
• You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight.

This way of looking at it places the emphasis on the fact that frustrated desire leads to violence. It also focuses on the aspect that envy and jealousy (and related emotions) inevitably lead to hostility such as quarrels, wars, and murder.

When you look at it this way, you can see how fast things can escalate without unchecked emotions and soberness. These last couple of days of reading continue to press on the motives that back my desires. Am I clamoring for more here on this earth or are my sights truly set on an eternal hope?

Today was a rough day. Marianne is not feeling well and spent 4 hours at the WalkIn waiting to be seen only to discover she has a ‘Secondary Virus’ that she received no prescription for to treat. I had the “Littlest” and then had to organize pickups of the bigger kids at 2 different schools all while trying to be on work calls. God is good and helped everything work and get done. So thankful!

James 3:18 [AMP]
And the harvest of righteousness (of conformity to God’s will in thought and deed) is [the fruit of the seed] sown in peace by those who work for and make peace [in themselves and in others, that peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals, with undisturbedness, in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts].

Today’s verse finishes up the section on wisdom. The amplified really amplifies this verse but is so good about really getting to the spirit of James’s remarks. Righteousness (living by Gods will and purposes in our life) and peace go hand in hand. I love the idea that the reaping of righteousness is sown in peace. Peace planted begets righteousness. When I think about it, righteousness is framed in and born from a mind that pursues peace. I’m still consuming this one.