Tag: grace to humble
More Grace Needed!
Scripture reading for November 5: James 4
“What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 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. 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”? But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”” James 4:1-6
Human nature without Jesus Christ is full of quarreling and strife. Each person centers on themselves and their own passions and desires. Selfishness is worked out through fighting, sometimes leading to murder either with a weapon or the tongue. Coveting is a lustful desire to have what belongs to someone else. This may include property, positions, or affections which leads to theft, gossip, adultery or fornication. James also pointed his finger at the religious who prayed for their fleshly desires to be fulfilled. They asked God but asked with selfish motives, and God did not answer.
These worldly people were adulterous in their relationship with God. They often claimed to love God but were really adulterous as they followed their own desires and passions. James said that God was jealous for their affections, yearning over them and desiring their loyalty. Through the gift of His Son, God had provided grace needed to break free from the world and their own passions. What was needed in the believers was to appropriate the grace provided by humble confession of sin and repentance. The foundational truth James based this instruction on was “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” More grace was already provided to enable them to break free from their passions and be fully committed to God.
Are you currently struggling with fleshly passions and desires that seem to dominate your thinking and life? Have you been asking God for fulfillment of your desires or grace to yield to His desires? Have you struggled with pride or feeling that God doesn’t care about you?
Prayer: Father God, thank You for jealously yearning over my spirit and giving me more grace. I humbly ask you to continue to provide grace to live fully for You and Your will. Use me to bring the Gospel of grace to those who quarrel and fight. May my life reflect Your grace to live in peace. Amen.
A broken and contrite heart!
Scripture reading for June 13th: Psalms 50-54
David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of his friend, Uriah. This episode is recorded in 2nd Samuel 11-12. This was a dark blot on the life of a man who had walked closely with God for about 50 years. King David had decided to stay home from the war with Israel’s enemies to rest and relax. He let his eyes wander and ended up in bed with his neighbor’s wife. She became pregnant and instead of an abortion, David decided to try to frame his friend. When this didn’t work, he had his friend killed.
David committed adultery and then murder, sins that had no covering by sacrifice under the Law. Both of these sins required that the perpetrator be stoned to death. (Leviticus 20:10)(Leviticus 24:17) What is remarkable about King David’s confession of these sins, is that he considered them to be against God alone. (Psalm 51:4) He brought a sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart, appealing to God’s mercy! (Psalm 51:17)
A broken and contrite heart takes responsibility for sin. It admits to breaking God’s law instead of denial and blame. (Psalm 51:3-5) David even recognized that he was sinful from birth. David knew men were born in sin because of Adam’s sin! We can only be delivered supernaturally by God’s mercy through Jesus Christ!
Repentant hearts also recognize the importance of truth in them. (Psalm 51:6) Jeremiah stated that the heart by human nature was deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. (Jeremiah 17:9-11) God searches the hearts of men and knows the truth about what is in them. David asked God for a clean heart and blotting out his iniquity!
Broken hearts desire the joy and salvation that comes from God’s grace of forgiveness. (Psalm 51:9-12) God alone can give a pure heart and a right spirit. This right spirit is one of brokenness and dependence on God’s grace. All pride in human effort must be set aside. This brokenness leads to a life of humble service and witness! Those who are forgiven much, love much. Because of love they want to do God’s will and bring praise to His Name! (Psalm 51:13-15)
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart , Oh God, you will not despise.” Psalm 51:17