Would you like to be a friend of God? I think that most people, if they believe in God, would like to consider Him their friend. And I think that this would definitely hold true for those who have accepted His Son, Jesus, as their Savior. Yes, I believe that we all would like to be considered a friend of God’s. In our Scripture today, as we continue in the Book of James, He speaks of being either a friend or an enemy of God. He speaks of having wisdom that comes from God, which a friend of God would have, and also of wars and fighting. Let’s look into this lesson from James.
As our Scripture opens, James speaks of several evil traits that are common among people, including sometimes found in believers. These are envy and self-seeking or selfish ambition (vs. 16). These bring about nothing but confusion, disorder, and all sorts of evil. What causes envy in the hearts of so many people? It comes when we are filled with greed, selfishness, and pride. When we see someone else get something, we become discontent with what we have or don’t have, and we develop a covetous desire for what they have, along with a growing bitterness. Jealousy or envy dishonors God, and one can hardly be a true friend of God if we allow these traits to remain in us.
However, a person who is filled with wisdom that comes from above, from God, will be pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, show mercy, and other fruits of the Spirit (vs. 17-18). Are you full of peace or full of anger? Do you show gentleness to others, and show mercy? Are you willing to yield to others? Those willing to yield do not cling stubbornly to one’s own opinions, but are open to reason. When we yield to Him, the Lord will give wisdom and these fruits without partiality. God does not show favoritism.
James continues on speaking about wars and fighting among people (vs. 1-3). This would include both actual wars between countries, and “warring” and fighting among individuals or groups. As we read here, fighting and warring, both individually and in any size group, often comes from our desires for pleasure, wanting what others have, thinking it will bring us happiness, enjoyment or fulfillment.
Sometimes the reason we don’t have what we want is because we don’t ask God (vs. 2). However, our motives need to be in tune with what God knows is best for us (I John 5:14). Expectant prayer demonstrates confidence in God’s goodness. All too often we forget to ask the Lord for specific things we need. We need to pray in line with God’s commands. God will not answer prayers for sinful or selfish motives (vs. 3).
Now we come to where our Scripture asks whose friend are we? Are we a friend of the world or are we a friend of God? Whose friend do we want to be? (vs. 4). Usually when the Bible speaks of the “world” it is speaking of the world system, which follows the prince of this world, Satan (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). There is nothing wrong with loving and wanting to take care of nature, but it is wrong when we devote ourselves to the philosophies and thinking of the culture of this world. Being a friend of this world is not compatible with being a friend of God. Being a friend of this world is thinking, doing, and speaking as the world does, and to value the same things that the world does. What God wants and what the world expects are diametrically opposed.
Sometimes people find it hard to submit to Jesus because we like to be in charge (vs. 6). We hold back in fear because we may not like what God chooses for us, or we fear He may ask us to give up something or do something we don’t want to do. We should have the same attitude as God’s Son, Jesus, who gave Himself to die at Calvary (Philippians 2:5-11).
The Bible speaks of one person, calling him specifically a “friend of God”, and that is the Patriarch Abraham. We read in II Chronicles 20:7, in Isaiah 41:8; and earlier in James 2:23, where he was called a friend of God. We all want friends, and what better friend could we have than God! The world is fickle, and at any moment it will cast you out. Satan doesn’t care about anyone. He will use you, chew you up and then spit you out. God, on the other hand, loves you and wants you to choose Him, and be His friend.
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