4 Come near to God
‘God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble’
Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. James 4: 6(b) – 8 [NIV]
James uses a quotation from Proverbs 3:34 to contrast two different groups of people: the proud and the humble.
The proud do not submit themselves to God. They are self-assured, self-confident and self-righteous. They think they know best. They think they can live their lives however they want, and are subject to no one’s authority.
But the humble live under God’s authority. Notice what James says to them. He uses three verbs.
· Submit yourselves to God. Live under God’s authority. Seek his will, and try to live according to it. He is infinitely wiser than we are, and truly knows what is best for us.
· Resist the devil. Becoming a Christian does not mean that the devil no longer has influence over us. He still tempts us and tries to get us to serve ourselves rather than to serve Christ. If we listen to his voice we can become ineffective as Christians; but if we resist him he will flee. Whatever power the devil has, every Christian has the ability to overcome it.
· Come near to God. When we turn to God he graciously meets us much more than half way. James is thinking of repentance here. When we have sinned, when we have wandered away from God, he still loves us and longs for us to return to him. But we must take the first step.
Lord, thank you that you have adopted me as your child. Please forgive the times I let you down. Help me to live every day under your authority.
David Long
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