He Will Lift You Up

Today I woke up from a terrible dream.  I was dreaming that a person was telling me how much she despised me.  I went and told some other people what she had said and they somewhat agreed with her but my sister was sticking up for me , which I truly appreciated!  As I woke up, I thought of how some of what that person had said was true and I was ashamed.   I try to please people and sometimes I fall into the trap of trying to please others or myself more than God.  That is the trap I think that James was writing about in James 4.  The first part of the chapter speaks to those quarrels that we find ourselves in with our brothers in Christ.  We quarrel about things because of what we want and we ask for our pleasure not to give praise to the Lord.  In verse 6 “But He gives us more grace.  That is why the Scriptures say: ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’  And then we have instructions on how we should live our lives, verse 7-10 “Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (8) Come near to God and He will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your heart, you double-minded. (9)Grieve, mourn and wail.  Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.  (10) Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up.”  Now that doesn’t mean that we need to go around and be sad faced all the time.  That we need to remain downcast because of our sins, it simply it telling us to confess those sins, recognize our short-comings and bring them to the Lord.  The result of repenting it that, “He will lift you up” (James 4:10b).  Who could go around sad when God is lifting you up? 

In Chapter 4:11-12 it tells us how we should treat our brothers and sisters in Christ.  “Brothers, do not slander one another.  Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it.  When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it.  (12) There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy.  But you—who are you to judge your neighbor.    Have you ever been judged by others?  I know I have and I didn’t like it very well.  But, I also know I have been on the side of judging others which I am ashamed of.    Although we need to be cautious about what we hear as seen in I John 4:1”Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. “  The scripture goes on to tell us how to do this verses 2 -3 “This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God:  Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, (3) but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.  This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.”  Long ago when those words were written there was the spirit of the antichrist, those proclaiming to be the Savior of the world but who are actually working against Christ.  Yes we need to be cautious but when we are with our brothers and sisters in Christ we should not judge and talk against them.  We need to go to them in love and not grumbling and complaining.   My mother always said, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”   Sometime in our churches we grumble and complain about things that really don’t matter.  We need to focus of the Lord and pray that He will be glorified through us rather than complaining.  We need to also not speak against those who do not know the Lord but rather speak to them about the Lord.

Today, as you seek Him, reflect on your life, remember to ask for forgiveness and ask to receive a blessing from God that will reveal His greatness not for your good but for His. 

Seeking Him with all my heart,

Sheila