March 11 Daily Devotional

Are You For Real? (James 4:4–6)

the Rev. Larry Wilson

Scripture for Day 70—James 4:4–6

⁴ You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, "He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us"? ⁶ But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."

Devotional:

The greatness of our Savior’s work on the cross is that "while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son" (Rom. 5:10). He has made "peace by the blood of his cross" (Col. 1:20). Peace with God is the chief upshot of Calvary. But when we let the worldly insistence on gratifying self above all else creep in, then our enjoyment of that peace goes right out the window.

Every hint of worldliness in us is one more proof of just how little we value the saving sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Rather than enjoying the peace and pursuing the friendship with God that our Lord Jesus purchased at such a great price, we break it by pursuing self instead. "Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God" (v. 4b). We trade peace with God for enmity with God. Some bargain!

"Friendship with the world is enmity with God." By definition, we cannot love both God and the world at the same time and in the same respect. It has to be one or the other. You’ve got to choose. Will you be godly? Or will you be worldly?

None of us starts as a blank slate. As fallen sinners, worldliness is actually our default mode. Consequently our coming to Christ for salvation necessitates forsaking the world. But even as believers, we still have the problem of indwelling sin. There is a constant "gravitional pull" of our flesh toward the world, urged along by the devil. Make this your conscious choice, today, tomorrow, and every day—I will pursue the friendship with God that my Savior bought at such great cost; therefore I will forsake the world, resist the devil, and put to death my sinful deeds and desires, so help me God.

Click here for background on the author of Are You For Real?: Meditations in the Epistle of James for Secret or Family Worship.