Friday, October 21

Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. James 4:5-6

“the scripture saith in vain”– This is not a direct quote of any place in scripture.  Rather it is a statement regarding a theme in scripture that teaches both man’s tendency to evil desires and God’s resistance of people who live for their own desires first and foremost.

“he giveth more grace, wherefore….giveth grace unto the humble”-  I know 2 things about you.  You need grace, and you want grace.  It’s universal.  How do we receive grace?  James says the key here is humility.  Understanding who we  are before a Holy and Righteous God helps us to have a humble attitude.

The proud person says, I don’t need God, nor do I need to do what He says.  We may not say this with our lips, but we often say it with our attitudes and actions.  God resists that.

The good news is that He gives grace to the humble.  The humble are not perfect, and they realize that they do need God and need to follow what He says.

Application:

Today’s verse leaves us with the  questions we’ve been asking all week.  Creation or Creator?  Proud or Humble?  God or the world? Evil desires or putting others first?  Where are you at?