Friday Devo
Scripture:
James 4
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
7 So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9 Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
Commentary:
4:7–8a The only way to resist the devil is by also submitting and drawing near to God (cf. 1 Cor. 10:13). Satan will be defeated and will have to flee, as indeed he did from Christ (Luke 4:13).
4:8b–9 Cleanse and purify are OT terms for ritual purity (e.g., the priests at the bronze basin, Ex. 30:18) and ethical purity. Laughter shows how casually James’s readers were treating their sin. The only proper reaction to God’s impending judgment is to be wretched and mourn and weep, as is seen often in the OT (e.g., Isa. 15:2; 22:4; Jer. 6:26).
4:10 Returning to the theme emphasized in v. 6, it is the humble whom God will exalt (cf. Matt. 23:12 par.; Luke 1:52; 14:11; 18:14; 1 Pet. 5:6). But as long as people exalt themselves, God will not exalt them.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2397.
4:8b–9 Cleanse and purify are OT terms for ritual purity (e.g., the priests at the bronze basin, Ex. 30:18) and ethical purity. Laughter shows how casually James’s readers were treating their sin. The only proper reaction to God’s impending judgment is to be wretched and mourn and weep, as is seen often in the OT (e.g., Isa. 15:2; 22:4; Jer. 6:26).
4:10 Returning to the theme emphasized in v. 6, it is the humble whom God will exalt (cf. Matt. 23:12 par.; Luke 1:52; 14:11; 18:14; 1 Pet. 5:6). But as long as people exalt themselves, God will not exalt them.
Crossway Bibles, The ESV Study Bible (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2008), 2397.
Questions:
- One of the big ideas from Sunday was that until you're right with God, you're not going to get anything right. Until you and God are reconnected, you will be disconnected. Even as believers, we can all go our own way and fall out of fellowship with the Father. We can create distance by our sinful choices and attitudes. Are you truly right with God at this moment? Do you need to come back to Him? What areas of your life are you needing to surrender to Him?
- What has God been saying to you this week? What needs to be addressed? What needs to change?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would live a life of repentance.
- That God would search your heart for anything that is displeasing to Him.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
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