Evening reading James 4 thoughts:

Living by the world’s wisdom instead of God’s wisdom has some serious consequences. James 4 talks about this and explains how it leads to fights and arguments among people. When folks only care about their own selfish desires, things get messy and people end up hurting each other. James even calls it cheating on God because it’s like being unfaithful to Him. But don’t worry, he says repentance is always an option, and God’s got plenty of grace to go around.

James tells those who have been following the world’s wisdom to change their ways and start listening to God. If they resist the devil and get closer to God, they’ll experience His grace and forgiveness. It means letting go of their selfish ambitions and trusting that God’s plans are way better. Oh, and James reminds everyone not to be all judgy, ’cause that’s God’s job, not ours.

He also says we should be humble and remember that life is short. Making plans is cool and all, but we gotta stay humble and be open to God changing our plans at any moment. And here’s a kicker: James says it’s not just about avoiding harm to others, but actively doing what’s right. If we know what’s right and don’t do it, that’s a big no-no.

So, in a nutshell, James wants us to ditch the world’s wisdom, embrace God’s wisdom, stay humble, do what’s right, and trust that God’s got our backs.

Biggest thing for me was 4:7-8. James wants us to know that many Christians, just like us, sometimes fall into the trap of relying on themselves and chasing after worldly desires. It leads to fights and conflicts with other believers because they’re too focused on getting what they want, even if it means ignoring God’s plans and timing.

God sees this as cheating on Him with the world, and He’s not happy about it. But the good news is that He doesn’t kick us to the curb. James reminds us that God gives us even more grace, especially when we humble ourselves.

So, when we realize we’ve been going down the wrong path, James tells us to submit to God once again. We need to let go of our selfish desires and accept the good things God has for us. Instead of trying to get everything for ourselves, we should start caring about others.

And don’t forget to resist the devil! James says that the devil is behind this whole worldly wisdom thing, and we need to push back against his lies. When we stand up to him and draw near to God, the devil will run away like a scaredy-cat.

Resisting the devil means rejecting his lies and reminding ourselves of the truth in God’s Word. When we do that, the devil can’t handle being around us.

To sum it up, James wants us to ditch the self-reliance, get back to God, start caring about others, and give the devil a good kick in the butt by standing firm in God’s truth.