PODCAST

Come Near To God

August 17th, 2024

James 4:1-8

Scheming. Killing. Fighting. Waging war. Certainly, we are not doing these things. Are we? James is so to-the-point that we might flinch and cower away, sure that we are not involved in his accusation. Yet let us consider, is it possible that we want what we don’t have? Or are we jealous of what others have? Well, yeah, but isn’t it “the dream” to pursue happiness? James admonishes us to be seeking God for our supply.

Remember the words of Jesus, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find” (Matthew 7:7). Do not be fooled into asking God to satisfy your temporal pleasures. This is not God’s intention. The pursuit of happiness, which is not the same as the joy of the Lord, is the wrong pursuit.

Can we identify the pleasurable pursuit that motivates our side of the fight? What would it take for us to humble ourselves? To exchange the pursuit of that pleasure for the pursuit of God? What peace and restoration might come if God came close to us?

Author: Lori Ward