7 SEP 23 Thursday: A Closer Walk Devotional
“You want what you do not have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are wrong-you want only what will give you pleasure.” James 4:2-3
One of our temptations to sin is to go after our desires at the expense of our relationship with Jesus. The world focuses on pleasure and getting what you want. It sparks lust of the eyes and flesh and pride of our accomplishments. (1 Jn. 2:16) James warns the church not to align itself with the world because our Master, Jesus, has expectations on our lives.
To be a friend of the world: its ways, ideologies, philosophies, and worldviews, is to become an enemy of God. Sin dominated us prior to being called out to be the people of God. We are no longer in bondage as a slave to sin but are Christ’s own forever. We also are citizens of the Kingdom of God. No Christian holds dual citizenship.
How we live is a reflection on our Lord and also affects our witness to non-believers and to fellow believers. When we are so self-focused we become blind to what is really important and what ultimately matters. Jesus commands our allegiance and knows that we cannot be a slave to two different masters. You will hate the one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. Every believer struggles with this at some point.
Are you struggling with being in the world and not of it?
Reading Plan: Psalm 37:1-18; 1 Kings. 11:26-43; James 3:13-4:12; Mark 15:12-21
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