James 4
Dear RTB’ers,
Two sentences, one right after the other: Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. (vv. 7b-8a) Resist and draw near. James suggests that simply resisting the devil is not enough. Fighting him without the Lord’s help is ill-advised; he is a strong enemy. But drawing near to God – there’s no better place to be!
Making plans… So often I hear someone planning an activity or doing this or that and adding, “Lord willing…”. Is that just an add-on phrase, or do we mean it when we say something like “Your will be done.” The former phrase seems less serious, the latter more intentional. James speaks specifically to these two phrases: …yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. … Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (vv. 14a, 15) Yes, always, “Your will be done…”. Or more emphatically, Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done. (Luke 22:42b)
Blessings.
Fred