Saturday, October 17, 2009

Envy and selfish ambition vs. the wisdom of heaven

For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

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. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 3:16-4:6).

Today’s Epistle lesson sounds almost un-American. Our country is built on the foundation of competition and the pursuit of success. From childhood, we are encouraged to want it all. And if you are successful, people are willing to cut you some slack in how you achieved that success. Many coaches will let misbehavior slide when a team member makes big plays on a consistent basis. Management is willing to sweep improprieties under the rug if an employee rakes in big profits for the company. The American public is willing to reelect politicians to office in spite of scandal, so long as they do a good job on behalf of their constituents.

God’s message spoken through James is almost a slap in the face. We prize ambition, God values submission. We focus on getting things for ourselves; God tells us to be generous in giving to others. Our priority is having fun; God wants us dedicated to service. The Lord wants us to live in a way that few people would understand or appreciate.

James lays out God’s argument in a three-fold manner. His first point is this: For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness.

God warns us that envy and selfish ambition give rise to disorder and evil behavior. We see it all the time—in the news, in our community, even in our homes. Here’s just one example. A man is dissatisfied with his marriage. He meets someone new and exciting, and soon he’s having an affair. He is completely wrapped up in making himself feel good—he gives no thought to the needs of his wife or their children. His selfish ambition results in all sorts of evil behavior. He is committing adultery, and he is lying to cover it up. He is hurting his wife and children by neglecting them. When the affair comes to light, his wife will be filled with anger, and fear about the future. She might lose her self-confidence; she might become so bitter that trusting anyone becomes difficult. She might even do something drastic like kidnapping the kids, or killing the man who has betrayed her. And let’s not forget how the children are affected. Home stops being a refuge of emotional safety for them, because it has become a place of conflict or neglect. And by losing their respect for their father, they might lose respect for all authority figures in their lives, including God Himself. So much damage from one man’s selfish ambition.

Of course, selfish ambition can take as many forms as there are people on this earth. Kids are ready to do whatever it takes to be popular, to get good grades, or to be the Most Valuable Player. Adults are willing to do whatever it takes to get a promotion, get elected to office, or fill their homes with everything that catches their eye. Envy and selfish ambition result in lies and back talk, betrayals and broken promises, threats and backroom deal making. Envy and selfish ambition can even lead to assault and murder.

Through James, God shows us that there is another way to live our lives. The wisdom that God offers teaches us how to be peaceful, considerate, submissive, merciful, productive, impartial, and sincere. Imagine how the world would be if we all took God up on His offer to be guided by these principles! Peaceful people work for compromise instead of insisting on getting their own way at the expense of others. Considerate people think about how their words or actions might impact others, and are willing to take the needs of other people into account whenever they make a decision. Being submissive sounds weak, but God values submission greatly; it takes real strength of character to put your needs and desires to the side and submit to someone else. Submission is perhaps the ultimate expression of love and respect. Those who are merciful are slow to anger and quick to forgive. Those who are productive benefit many people with their time and talents, not just themselves. People who are impartial avoid making snap judgments or taking sides without careful thought; they want to see conflicts from all angles, so that a peaceful solution might be reached. And people who are sincere have great influence with others, because everyone knows that you can always trust them to speak the truth.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? Sadly, we are more likely to side with envy and selfish ambition than we are to embrace the wisdom that comes from heaven. This is because we all have strong desires that try to dictate our actions. This is the second point in James’ argument: What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

We are all driven by desire. For some, it’s a desire for money or security. For others, it’s a desire for respect or love. Some want authority or control; others want to be needed or appreciated. Some desires are healthy—we all need love and companionship, we all need to feel that we’re safe. But even healthy desires can take a dark turn and lead to destructive behavior. Wars happen when one nation wants to ensure its security by launching a preemptive military strike. Love can turn obsessive and lead to stalking, kidnapping, and murder.

The problem is that when we want something, we are often willing to do anything to get it. We ignore the risk of danger and the rights of others; we let desire override our conscience and our common sense. This results in angry words and acts of violence. This results in hasty decisions that rarely turn out well.

Psalm 145 says, The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. Knowing this, we should pray to God whenever we need or want something. But usually we don’t. When you’re sick, do you pray to God before visiting the doctor? When you’re cramming for a big test, do you ask the Holy Spirit to help you prepare and do well? When you’re considering whether or not to move in with your lover, do you ask Jesus to guide you in making the right decision? Most of time, when desire is pushing our buttons, we don’t think about turning to God first, even though He is in the best position to satisfy our needs. You do not have, because you do not ask God.

Of course, God does not want to be treated like a vending machine—put in a prayer and expect that He’ll dispense what you want. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. God cares about you, yes, but He is not interested in supporting your bad habits. God loves you, so He will not give you things that you will misuse to your detriment, or the detriment of others. If your only focus in life is yourself, God will answer your selfish prayers with silence.

As he wraps up his argument, James challenges us to see the world from God’s perspective. 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. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

James calls us adulterous people. He is repeating a charge that God has made against sinners since the Old Testament. One example is found in Jeremiah chapter 31: they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them. God made us, and we are His. He is not willing to share our affection or devotion with anything earthly that we might desire. When we lust after the desires of our hearts, we treat God like a husband who we’re cheating on. Our cravings lead to adultery against the Lord, spurning our relationship with the Almighty. Our adulterous behavior makes the Lord angry, so angry that He will deal with us as He would an enemy. And really, that is what we are, because when we choose the world over God, we have chosen to side with the prince of this world, the devil.

Thankfully, our sinful desires don’t have to get the final word. Because He loves us, God shows us His grace, His undeserved mercy and care. He loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus down from heaven to bring the wisdom of God to us personally. In Jesus, we see the wisdom of heaven personified: He is peaceful, considerate, submissive, merciful, productive, impartial, and sincere. Jesus brings us peace with God and each other through forgiveness. He is careful with us; in Isaiah 42:3 the prophet said of Him: A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. Jesus was submissive; in Philippians chapter two Paul writes Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something He must hang on to, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! Jesus is merciful; He forgives any sin, no matter how terrible, simply because we ask Him. Jesus is hard working; through His life and death, He atoned for everything we have done to anger God, and every day He guides and strengthens those who rely on Him. Jesus is impartial, a fact that Peter struggled to learn: I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right (Acts 10:34). And Jesus is sincere; Peter also writes, He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth (1 Peter 2:22).

Jesus is the wisdom that comes from heaven; Jesus is the grace of God born as a man to save us from sin, death, and hell. But Jesus is not welcomed by the proud; people who think that they know what is best have no time for the Savior, no interest in submitting their lives to the guidance of His wisdom. This is why God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. People who are humble realize that giving in to desire leads to disaster. People who are humble have experienced the pain and disappointment that is caused by envy and selfish ambition. It is the humble who are ready for a different way of life; it is the humble who crave God’s wisdom that He offers through Christ. It takes humility to admit your mistakes and ask Jesus to forgive them. Humility is hard, but it is the humble who receive God’s grace.

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