Who’s Your Friend?

REFERENCE: James 4:4-8 You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5 What do you think the Scriptures mean when they say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy? 6 But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say,

   “God opposes the proud
      but favors the humble.”

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.

Observation: The Siren Song of the world is so very loud in our ears. It comes to us from every direction. The world calls to us offering us friendship, excitement and fulfillment. It doesn’t keep it’s promises, at least not for long. In opposition God makes it crystal clear; if we are friends with the world, we are enemies with God.

What a thought; God’s Spirit in me is envious of the love I have for the world instead of for Him. It is awe inspiring to think that God cares so much about how we feel about Him that we could make Him envious.

So how do we extinguish love and attachment to this world and its attractions? We must humble ourselves before God. Recognize that we are in desperate need of His help. Resist the work of Satan that puts temptation in our way. The best way of doing so is to watch for his schemes and stay away from the blandishments that he wants to put in our paths. The most important thing we can do is to get close to God. It is when we are in His face, close to His side that we will have the power to resist sin.

In the end it is a heart question. How has it; God or the world? Our Father is calling us to an undivided loyalty to Him.

Application/Confession: Undividedly loyal to Him. That is where I want to be and to live. There are many things of this world that grab my attention. I want Him not to have to envy anywhere that I put my heart because He has it all.

PRAYER: Lord, draw me close to You and give me an undivided heart.