“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:8
Tug of War – A James 4 Devotional
Have you ever played tug of war? Or even seen it on television or in a movie? One side pulls on the rope, then the other pulls. The rope is taut between them as they fight for control over the direction of the rope. Who is stronger? Who will pull the other along with them?
James chapter 4 reminds me of a game of tug of war.
“What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you? You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war.” James 4:1-2a
Against Each Other
We pull against each other, vying for what we want. Ignoring the needs and wants of others as we pull and pull, striving for our own desires.
“You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the friend of the world becomes the enemy of God. Or do you think it’s without reason that the Scripture says: The spirit he made to dwell in us envies intensely?” James 4:2b-5
Against God
We face off across the rope from God, pulling in an attempt to get our own way, rather than follow His Word and will. Our preoccupation with the things of this world sets us up as enemies, fighting against God for control of the rope.
“But he gives greater grace. Therefore he says:
God resists the proud
but gives grace to the humble.Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.” James 4:6-10
Turn the Rope into a Lifeline
Suddenly, James turns the very rope we have been struggling with God over into a lifeline for our rescue. Imagine that God is on one end of the rope and we are at the other. All this time, we have been pulling against Him, trying to convince Him to do what we want.
Then, we realize our powerlessness against the Creator of the universe. He will always win. Instead of fighting against Him, we come to our senses and start to move along the rope to Him. We draw ourselves closer to Him.
Draw near to God
An amazing thing happens. When we make that tiny, earth-shattering shift from pulling against to pulling toward God, He draws close to us.
God actually begins to pull us up out of our messy life and into His arms. His strength lifts us toward Him.
Don’t Get Cocky
This is a great step, but James cautions us not to get too big for our britches (to use a phrase from my southern upbringing) when we finally make this good decision to draw near to God.
“Don’t criticize one another, brothers and sisters. Anyone who defames or judges a fellow believer defames and judges the law. If you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?” James 4:11-12
Eyes on the Prize
We can’t take our eyes off of God and look around to see how much better we are than everyone else. When we draw near to God, we don’t become judge and jury for everyone else. Only God is the judge. We have to resist the temptation to point out the flaws of our fellow believers. We have to keep our eyes on God and keep drawing close to him.
Be Careful Not to Return to Tug of War
“Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes.
Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it.” James 4:13-17
James also gives us a warning to avoid taking back control of the rope. If we start boasting and making plans about what we will do in the future without God’s input, we are pulling against God on that rope again. We start up the tug of war over control of our lives and and it lands us in a mess.
Action Step for the James 4 Devotional:
Let’s take a moment in prayer and reflection. Is there any area of your life where you are striving to maintain your own control. You want it your way and don’t want to consult God.
It is time to stop pulling on that rope against God. We will never win. He’s just too strong.
Draw close to God and He uses His strength for us to draw us closer to Him. This is how we get the peace and joy that we crave.
Prayer:
Dear God, reveal to us the areas where we are playing tug of war with You. Help us to stop pulling against You and start pulling toward You. Draw close to us as we draw close to You like Your Word says. In Jesus’ name, amen.
For the Devotional Series Page for James, click here.
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