The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Acknowledging that They Cannot LOVE Both God and the World at the Same Time!

02 Mar 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

James 4:7.        Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

And now that Sunday has passed into the history Books, this new day must be Monday, for Monday follows Sunday like the sun follows the moon and the day the night. That therefore means, after a couple of days of rest, we must get back out into the crazy world. Yes, once again on this bright and sunshiny but cold day, we need to get into labouring mode, sometimes more like fighting mode, with all the pushing and shoving that occurs while commuting numerous miles, through various modes of transportation to the concrete jungles, where most of the work is located, so we can earn a dollar to keep life and limb together. (smile) 

Then suffer the same commuting fate to get back home at the end of the workday. No, it certainly doesn’t seem like the best of systems, but unfortunately that’s the way the working world is set up, and if you want to stand a fighting chance, then you need to go with the flow and over time enhance your situation as best as possible. But while doing that, please don’t sell your soul to Beelzebub for silver or gold, or the nice-looking material things of the world, for, when you do that in an effort to get ahead, you’re only making matters worse, because then you’ll be heading straight for eternal separation from Almighty God, the worst thing that can ever happen to a human soul.

The only way to live this life right, is by clinging steadfastly to Jesus, and then you’ll be headed for salvation and eternal life, the best rewards available. And James, Jesus’ brother, possibly says it best when he writes to his readers, who instead of wrestling with God in prayer, were striving with one another. He rightly asks: ‘From whence come wars (conflicts) and fighting among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts to have (desires for pleasure) that war in your members (bodies)? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill (murder), and desire to have (covet), and cannot obtain: ye fight and war (battle), yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts (pleasures).’ (James 4:1-3)

And that’s exactly what’s happening all around our world today! For most, if not all of the strife permeating the world stems from selfish and unsatisfied desires to get what we want, as well as what the world has to offer. Remember what we said about prayer yesterday? Nothing’s wrong with asking, if you’re asking for stuff that falls into God’s will. That’s the basic qualification; it must be in God’s will. Then James continues with these words of wisdom. ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will (wants to) be a friend of the world is the enemy (makes himself an enemy) of God.’ (James 4:4)

That’s an indisputable fact, since Jesus spoke about His followers being IN the world but not OF the world. (John 17:14-16) That means we must not lust after the things of the world, or behave like the world behaves, because it brings us into wrong standing with our heavenly Father. And James rolls on: ‘Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to (yearns) to envy (jealousy)?’ (James 4:5) There he’s referring to this scripture from Genesis. ‘And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts (intentions) of his heart was only evil continually.’ (Gen. 6:5)

Yes back then, just like today, most of what man thought, plotted or did was strictly evil all the time. Then James gets to the solution of the problem. ‘But he giveth more grace, Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’ (James 4:6) And per the scholars, that means ‘God gives greater grace than the world’s attraction of verse 4 and the inner lust of verse 5, and so can withstand both.’ There, James is quoting from Romans where Bruh Paul writes: ‘Moreover the law entered, that the offence (sin) might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.’ (Rom. 5:20)

So wherever sin is, grace abounds there even more. In other words, sin can never outshine God’s grace! Thus, James dictates: ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. Be afflicted (lament), and mourn, and weep; let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-10) And all of what James says there makes sense. It’s high time we get serious, forget our foolish pride and turn sincerely to God, for that’s where our hope and future lie. (Jer. 29:11)

And the scholars offer these explanations. Therefore: The exhortations that follow logically result from the conditions in verses 1-6. Resist the devil means: Do not submit to, fear, or flee from Satan, but stand against him (1 Pet. 5:8-10). Satan cannot lead into sin against one’s will. As per Draw nigh: God will not be unmoved. His welcoming response is always near. (cf. Deut. 4:7; Lam. 3:57; Luke 15:20). Hands and hearts mean the cleansing of one’s life must involve both outward and inward deeds and inner thoughts (cf. Ps. 24:3).’  

Ah friends, it certainly seems like we have our work cut out for us, but if we want to have victory over Satan and the world, then those are some of the things we need to do. And to help us do them, let’s now go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid in these troubled times.

Altogether: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.

 So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

 Now let’s remember, despite God’s help, we still have our duty to do in the partnership, and He will not do our part. That means we have to pull up our socks and get moving asap! Why? Because it’s all for our benefit! Much LOVE!

…you cannot LOVE both God and the world…it’s either one or the other…and God is by far the better choice… 

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit 3 June 2020 James 4:8a.

03 Jun 2020 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

James 4:8a.    ​Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. 

Well it’s a wet, still and gloomy Wednesday morning… and it ought to be after the majestic thunderstorm we experienced around ten thirty last night. Yeh friends, all the heavy hitters were out: Thor had the heavens rumbling ominously with thunder, while the lightning flashes lit up the dark night sky like daylight, and the rain poured down in heavenly filled buckets! It was a wonderful spectacle, as it always is when the heavens put on a real show. It’s something that man is not even able to come close to approximating, much less beating. 

That just shows where the ultimate power lies – in heaven, not on earth. (smile) And that’s why it is ever so important to be in close contact with, have strong communication with the powers of heaven, like this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin advocates. And it is most appropriately titled ‘Intimate Closeness.’ Please pray with me: ‘You promise, dear God That when I draw close to You You will draw close to me. Lord, I give myself to You unreservedly. Teach me more and more Of intimate closeness And fill my heart with You alone. To walk arm-in-arm with You Down every winding path Seems to me The dearest of all delights.’ 

And so indeed it is my dear friends and saints in Christ! There’s no better companion in any walk or path of life than Almighty God Himself! For He is the First and Last; the Alpha and Omega, the Creator and Ruler of All that exists! So who better can we ever choose to walk with eh? That’s why James, when he talks about worldliness and pride, lambastes us thus: ‘Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of (with) the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will (wants to) be a friend of the world is the enemy (makes himself an enemy) of God.’ (James 4:4) 

And the scholars explain that verse: ‘4:4. As Israel was a spiritual adulteress, unfaithful to God, so the church is a spiritual adulteress when she is the unfaithful bride of Christ (cf. Hos. 2:5, 19-20; Matt. 12:39). One cannot be both a LOVER of God and a LOVER of the world.’ That’s putting it very plainly my brethren, though some unwise or foolish ones of us try to live with one foot in the world and the other in the kingdom of Christ, but it’s a physical impossibility, we can’t straddle both places at once! Yes, some of us like to play both sides against the middle, and that might work in the world, but definitely not in Christ’s kingdom. 

And as James wisely continues: ‘Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth (yearns jealously) to envy?’ (James 4:5) Oh yes it certainly does! Just look around at our envious, jealous and greedy world nuh! Then James abandons the negative aspect of his exhortation, gets positive, and tells us of God’s good work, quoting Cousin Sol’s words in Prov. 3:34. ‘But he giveth more grace; Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.’ (James 4:6) 

Now that’s the gospel truth friends, for God despises the proud, since they tend to have no time for or need of Him. But the humble… He greets them with open arms and ever so generously pours out grace, His underserved and unmerited favour, in and on their lives. Wow! Then James gets to the meat of his subject and strongly and wisely advises us to: 

‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded. Be afflicted (lament), and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness (gloom). Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-10) 

Oh friends, if there’s one thing this generation needs more than anything else it’s humility! Our pride has reached such incendiary levels that it’s burning us up and we don’t even realize it. Our level of technology and evolution has made everybody a genius… Hn! We don’t need anybody else; me, myself and I, are the most popular pronouns today! No wonder there’s such little togetherness and so much division, even in Christ’s church. And the only way our world will heal, that includes the church, is by turning to God, not away from Him. Becoming humble in His sight, not trying to run Him out of town! 

Why? As the scholars explain. ‘But he giveth more grace is literally “greater grace” (Gr. meizona). God gives grace that is greater than the world attraction of verse 4 and the inner lust of verse 5 ( Rom. 5:20), and so can withstand both.’ Yes mih people, the only way to withstand the devil and his lustful and prideful temptations is by seeking the greater grace of God. 

Listen to how the scholars explain it nuh. ‘4:7-10. Therefore: The exhortations that follow logically result from the conditions in verses 1-6. Resist the devil: Do not submit to fear, or flee from Satan, but stand against him (1 Pet. 5:8-10). Satan cannot lead into sin against one’s will. Draw nigh: God will not be unmoved; His welcoming response is always near (cf. Deut. 4:7; Lam. 3:57; Luke 15:20). Hands and hearts: The cleansing of one’s life must involve both outward deeds and inner thoughts (cf. Ps. 24:3-4).’ 

So it must my brethren, especially in these dangerous and turbulent times. It will also be of great benefit to us to read those scriptures mentioned above. (smile) So, for those of us who are trying to keep humble and seek God’s grace, let’s go home now declaring (oh yes!) our Wednesday Wail, telling of our wonderful situation in Christ Jesus! In strong voice, with sincere hearts: 

‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’ 

And we know that if we endure steadfastly to the end, that future will be even more glorious than we can ever ask or imagine! Much LOVE!

…but where sin abounded…grace did much more abound… (Rom. 5:20b)