Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”?
But He gives more grace. Therefore He says:
“God resists the proud,
But gives grace to the humble.”
James 4:4-6
Friendship with the world is the equivalent of being unfaithful with a spouse. And like in a marriage the betrayal of the preeminent relationship is so painful to God that is makes us His enemy. He is very passionate about the relationship He bought for us through the sacrifice of His Son. He wants our loyalty to Him to be pure.
The grace of God addresses the source of this unfaithfulness, namely pride. We act in arrogance when we think that we can have two loyalties. Like a wandering spouse we think we won’t get caught or count on the forgiveness of our lover. But God has given us grace to so that we can humble ourselves which allows us to remain loyal to Him.
He has also personally set Himself as the guardian of that relationship. It is not merely circumstances that interfere with our pride but God Himself resists us in the attempt to bring us back to Him. God is also the source of the grace we need in our humility. He supplies it to empower us to function without the pride of life that causes us to selfishly clutch after the world’s friendship to meet our felt needs. Our Father has not left us to sort this conflict within ourselves out alone. He is there to see that we are resisted in our pride and supplied grace in our humility.
Desiring Him,
Pastor Jason
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