Tug of War

James 4:4-10 You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? 6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Have you ever been caught between two rival friends that can't stand each other, but yet, both want you exclusively for their own? It can feel like you're a rope trapped in a tug of war, having your allegiance and emotions pulled back and forth between one and the other. That is something of the picture that James places before us today with the two opposing sides being the evil world on the one hand and the Lord God on the other. There is no hope and zero chance of these two sides ever making up or getting along. They are mortal enemies. Nor so long as we live and breathe will either of them ever give up and let us go to the other side without a fight.

The evil unspiritual world, ruled by Satan (cf. John 16:11), pulls at us, at our sinful flesh. It tugs at us with temptations and thunders at us with threats. It desires for us to retreat into the darkness and unbelief in which we were born and become enemies of God once again. The Lord, on the other hand has created a new life and a new identity in us by his Spirit, and he draws that new man to the cross and empty tomb of Jesus, who gave his whole self for us so that we are fully forgiven, completely loved, and entirely his own. James says there are no two ways about it. Just like we can't turn in two directions. We cannot have both. To be a friend of the world is to be an enemy of God and vice versa. But between these two, only God has proven that he really cares about us. To the devil and the world we are just pawns to be used, but to the Lord we are his beloved and beautiful bride with whom he longs to be united forever. 

Now I’m sure you’ve noticed that this tug of war is an agonizing struggle day by day, and perhaps you wonder how you are ever going to make it without being pulled apart at the seams? What is God's plan? What is his end of the rope anchor to keep us with him? James says it's GRACE. God just loves you and me even though each and every day we stumble towards sin. What a wonder, the Apostle Paul tells us that God's grace is always greater than our sin (cf. Romans 5:20.)! And it's only in that grace—secure, immovable, eternal, and undeserved—that we can be honest and humble, contrite and grieving about our double-mindedness, our delight in impurity, and the times we’ve played friends with the devil. This turning to God in combined confession and trust is what the Bible calls repentance, submitting that we are all dead weight and God is our only help and salvation. Satan cannot tolerate this. He cannot stand before God’s almighty grace, and he must flee. Then the Lord promises to lift us up, scoop us in his arms, and set us safely at his side. Exactly where we want to be. Where we belong. Where we are beloved.

Questions / Personal Reflection:

1.) Identify the situations you face or specific areas in your life where you’re tempted to believe the lie that you can “have it both ways”—both be God’s child and be worldly at the same time. Secure in God’s grace describe what it would look like to be entirely the Lord’s in that scenario. Pray that God would give you his Spirit to make it reality. 

2.) James instructs us to both resist the devil and come near to God. Since we come into contact with God and his powerful grace in his Word, what are some practical ways that you can incorporate God’s Word into your regular routine?

Prayer: Holy Spirit, give me a single-minded heart that mourns over my sin and resists the pull to be friendly towards this sinful world. Do not forsake me because of my weakness and many sins. Continue to revive my spirit through your Word of grace whereby you promise to keep me as your own until the struggle with sin ceases and I am only yours forever in heaven. Amen.