Thoughts on James 4

Verse 10 – Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Two things about this verse really hit me. (1) It’s so opposite of what we would naturally think. Jesus does this a lot – He goes against our human expectations. The first shall be last and the last shall be first. Lose your life and save it. Humble yourself and you’ll be lifted up. Wow. (2) God does the greatest, most satisfying lifting up and exalting. I’ve been in many situations where I’ve tried to lift myself up and it never really works. Lifting myself up never really satisfies. However, I’ve also experienced times where I’ve humbled myself and then God lifts me up. And that is infinitely better and infinitely more satisfying than lifting myself up. I should know by now by experience that it is soooo much better to humble myself to God than to try to exalt myself. It’s much more honoring and more satisfying when I humble myself instead of trying to exalt myself.

Just a little extra thing: this is what the Message says – Get on your knees before the Master; it’s the only way you’ll get on your feet.

Oh, the Message.

Verses 14-16 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, then we will live and do this or that.”

Again, two major things hit me with this verse. (1) We are so little and yet so loved. It makes me think of Psalm 8 – “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.” So, we are small. There are a ton of other people living on earth. And there have been so many more people that have lived and died. So may people. So much time. And our life doesn’t amount to much. Or, so it seems. But God loves us. God loves me even though my life is like a mist that appears for only a little while and then disappears. God loves me and my misty life enough to send His Son to die for me. I was thinking about this last night and how Jesus came to save the world (John 3:16), but he also came specifically for me. That’s amazing love. So, the point is: our life is small, or but a mist, but we are still incredibly, incredibly loved by God. (2) God is in charge. No, really. When I read this verse, I think about how we are not promised another year, another month or another day. If it’s the Lord’s will for us to be alive next year or 20 years from now, then good, we’ll be alive. And God is sovereign in our lives. But if it’s not (because, as you know, our life is but a mist), then that too is the Lord’s will and it is good. Actually, it is unexplainably good because we will be with our Father in heaven.