“Do you not know that to be a lover of the world means enmity with God?” “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.” James 4:4, 8
There are several occasions in the Bible that tell us we cannot love God and the world, we cannot serve God and man (Matthew 6:24, 1 John 2:15, 2 Timothy 3:2-5, etc.). This verse in James reminds us that if our heart is full of worldly things, we cannot have room for God. He does not want to share, God wants all of us. He wants us to humble ourselves before him, and seek out his grace. He wants to fill our hearts completely. So when we fill our hearts and wants with things of the world, God gets angry. When we think we are in charge of ourself, or that we can make it through this world alone, we are turning from God. Funny thing is, by avoiding being a servant of God, we then become a servant of Satan and Satan’s will to live in the world of desires.
Verse I reminds us that if we wholeheartedly turn to God, he will turn to us. We need to surrender and submit to God because he made us. If that’s not enough alone, only by turning to God do we receive salvation. We are invited to be close to him. Yes, you are invited! “Why would he invite me,” you may ask, “I am a sinner.” Know who else was a sinner? Peter, who denied Jesus three times. And God used him to be the beginning of the church, to be the first Pope of the Catholic Church. Paul’s story began as someone who persecuted Christians! So if God could invite these two sinners to spread his word, why not invite you?
Draw near to God. Seek out his grace. Have communion with him. Ask his counsel. Doing such will help you resist the devil, be pure, be released of sin. Allow him to be near to you. Enjoy his promise.
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