Submit and Resist

Scripture Reading: James 4:1-10

Our desires, that is our sinful passions are the root of so much of what goes awry in our lives. We want things and we covet stuff. We end up fighting and arguing with others as a result. We even spiritualize our selfish desires and imagine that if we just pray about them it will sanctify them so that they are legitimized.

What we need is grace. And God gives grace – even abundant grace – to meet every need. But grace is given to the humble. God, James reminds us, opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. That word, “opposes,” is interesting. It has the idea of God holding the proud at arms-length, keeping them from approaching them. It seems to me that James is suggesting that grace isn’t merely a commodity that God is handing out. It is something we receive in intimacy with God.

We get grace when we approach God. When we stoop down we can walk into His presence and find the grace we need. What I am trying to convey here is grace isn’t something we can receive from God and carry away from His presence like a material possession. It isn’t like going into a pet store and buying a puppy. You buy the puppy and then leave and you don’t necessarily have any ongoing connection to that store. It was a transaction.

We can’t treat this need for grace in a purely transactional way. Grace and God are inseparable. That is why James goes on to say, “draw near to God and God will draw near to you.” We draw near and find grace as we approach in humble submission.

In submitting ourselves to God we are resisting the devil. While these, in a sense, can be seen as two different things. I believe they are also meant to be viewed as two sides of the same coin. We draw near to God and thereby resist the devil. We resist the devil by drawing near to God.