Am I Devoted to God, or to Myself?
James 4:7-10 (NKJV)
Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.
James lists six components of selfless devotion which God requires of His children:
1. Submit to God – God demands that His will takes priority over our own. Putting our own will first is an act of pride. Be careful! God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6)
2. Resist the Devil – Revering, understanding, and obeying God’s word gives us wisdom to resist the evil influences of Satan. He wants us to sin against God and make destructive decisions, but can overcome that! James 1:12 says: Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.
3. Draw Near to God – Christians should be motivated to learn all we can about God and His will for us. He has promised and done great things for us! We draw near to God through study, worship, and prayer.
4. Cleanse Your Hands – Christian hands are to be instruments of good. We keep our hands clean by using them for God’s glory instead of staining them in our own selfish and sinful pursuits.
5. Purify Your Hearts – If selfish ambition and worldly desires occupy our hearts, it leaves no room for the truth. The truth that saves can only be found in God’s written word, not in our own ideas and feelings. (John 17:17) We need to flood our minds Holy things if we want to have a pure heart.
6. Repent – We demonstrate selfless devotion to God’s will when we recognize the gravity of our sins, confess them, and turn away from them. We learn from our mistakes so we can be better servants of God.
Each are essential components of a selflessly devoted Christian. James writes that if you humble yourself to serve the Lord, “He will lift you up.” God lifts up or exalts those of us who are devoted to Christ with forgiveness of sins in this life and, at Christ’s second coming, God will exalt us with eternal life in heaven.
Am I devoted to God or to myself? If you look into the mirror of scripture and your life doesn’t align with what you read, don’t deceive yourself, be willing to change! Remember, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
Let’s study the Bible together! If you have questions about Jesus, salvation, or God’s will for your life, I would love to help you!
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Email: empbullock@gmail.com
