Wrong Kind of Pride Leads to Multiple Sins

"Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God/ Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, 'The Spirit who dwells in us years jealously'? But He give more grace. Therefore He says: 'God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.' James 4:1-6 NKJV).

James writes strongly in these verses about the wrong kind of pride, the selfish, self-seeking pride that leads to all kins of sinful actions. A commonly held moral teaching was that the aggressiveness of bodily desires was the root of all sorts of human conflicts and quarrels: wars, murder, covetousness that leads to stealing, adultery, enmity with God. Then in the midst of speaking of the wrong kind of pride and desires and the sins to which they lead, James inserts a strong word on prayer: "You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." To pray from wrong motives is most certainly an indication that God will not answer the prayers in a positive manner. This is another evil effect of seeking bodily pleasures and holding to the wrong kind of pride: they prevent answers to prayers, or even prevent one from praying. The Scripture James quotes here, so we are told by scholars, may have been form some of the writings not included in the canon of our Bible: "The Spirit who dwells in us eyarns jealously." The Greek words for this sentence are most difficult to translate, and one cannot find this quotation in a concordance of the Old Testament. James, like many of us, was no doubt not quoting any specific text, but giving the gist of meaning from several Old Testament texts. We can safely say that the Spirit of God that dwells in us "jealously yearsn" for us to refrain from the sins of selfish pride and focus on His way. "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble" is a quotation from Proverbs 3:34.

Sin produces selfish, prideful desire and lack of humility. Our prayers, instead of being selfish, should seek to glorify God and advance His kingdom. Is He not then interested in our day-by-day requests, some in which we frequently ask for help in tough situations? Certainly He is, and He hears these prayers when we pray from an humble heart and our motives are right. The promise is assuredly that "He gives grace to the humble." Let us beware of our selfish pride and cultivate humility.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Thursday, October 21, 2010

Trust in the Lord

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV) [Read Proverbs 3]

Proverbs 3 is an exhortation to the young (addressed as “son”) to be obedient, to practice faith, to pursue wisdom, to be charitable, to avoid evil, and to be righteous. Proverbs teaches that if Gods commandments are kept, if He is sought diligently, long life and peace will be the rewards for the faithful.

Tithing, although not thus labeled, is taught in Proverbs 3:9: “Honor the Lord with thy substance and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.” A result of recognizing God’s lordship even of our possessions will result in enough as indicated in verse 10 with “barns filled with plenty” and “presses shall burst out with new wine.” That was an agricultural day when full yields would indicate a recognition of God in all the elements of good soil, adequate rain and sunshine, and even good health for the work necessary to produce full yields. Now, with a different kind of economy, faithfulness to tithe, or give God the firstfruits of our earnings, is seen in enough to meet the reasonable needs of our lives. This is promised not only in Proverbs but in other Scriptures, notably Malachi 3:10: “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”

Trust in the Lord involves complete dependence upon Him in all things. When we make Him Lord of our money and earnings, we trust Him with our livelihood, knowing that our needs will be met. In my husband’s experiences in the ministry, I recall many whose trust in the Lord covered fully their considerations about money. There was Joe who would not be baptized until he placed his billfold in his pocket, saying, “I want my money to be dedicated to the Lord.” That was his way of showing his trust in God’s plan of stewardship. And there was Hallie, a dear lady, though beset with dread leukemia for several of her later years, who had reared her children as a single parent. She worked hard as a supervisor in a sewing plant. So faithful in setting aside the tithe and teaching others to do, she was known affectionately as the “stewardship lady” in the church. Leaning on our own understanding is not enough. Trust in the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Acknowledge the Lord. He will make your paths straight. That is a condition with a faithful promise.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Wednesday, June 30, 2010