Where fights come from
Today's focusJames says that fights among believers come from desires warring within them; God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble, so they are to submit to God and humble themselves before him.
Read
1From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. 5Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? 6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. 9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. 10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Reflection
When conflict arises, your first instinct may be to look at the person across from you. However, James asks, "From whence come wars and fightings among you?" He points the finger toward the internal landscape, explaining that these struggles "come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?" Often, the friction you experience with others is a result of desires within yourself that remain unsatisfied. When you "desire to have, and cannot obtain," the result is often outward strife.
The remedy for this internal war is not found in winning the argument, but in changing your posture toward God. The passage warns that "God resisteth the proud," but offers the beautiful promise that he "giveth grace unto the humble." Instead of trying to satisfy every desire through your own strength, you are invited to "Submit yourselves therefore to God." As you "Draw nigh to God," he promises to draw nigh to you. By choosing to "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord," you stop fighting for your own way and trust that "he shall lift you up."
AI-written reflection on the passage above. Let Scripture itself be the main thing.
Reflect
In a conflict you are part of, what desire or pride in your own heart might be adding to the fight?
Pray
Lord, search my heart. Show me where my own pride and desires feed the conflicts around me. Humble me, and give me more grace.