The Psalmist wrote, “I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” (Psalm 40:8). Jeremiah reiterates this sentiment. (Jeremiah 31:33). Because we are a new creation in Jesus Christ, God has not only planted the law within our hearts, but a desire to obey the law. So we can say that the mark of a true believer is the desire to do the will of God. In fact, this desire is the very thing that shows that we are, in fact, relatives of Jesus Himself: “For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.” (Matthew 12:50). The nature of our relationship with God is defined by our obedience to His will. Jesus modeled this for us when He said, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” (John 5:30). This is what James was teaching when he cautioned us to live in God’s will (James 4:15), for the one who has no desire to do the will of God has not been transformed, and does not love Him. James chapter 4 is full of tests for us. These tests allow us to examine our hearts to see if our faith and love for God is genuine. Failure to follow the will of the Creator is the same as making ourselves sovereign in our lives, rather than Him. It is a desire to be captain of our own ship, instead of submitting to the Master. And God does not give grace to the proud. On the other hand, if we pass the test, we know that the longing to do God’s will is evidence that we have been saved. James is rather abrupt and forceful in this teaching. I like that about him. He doesn’t speak in abstractions; he doesn’t beat around the bush. For James, it’s all very black and white, with no shades of gray. In fact, in James 4:13 (and again in James 5:1), he uses a Greek word that is translated in the NIV as the phrase “Now listen”, and what he actually means is a commanding “listen up”. Incidentally, these are the only two times that this potent Greek word is used in the New Testament. We can be sure of James’ confidence because of this. Now, when James says “…Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money” (James 4:13), he is not saying that planning such things is a sin. In fact, a businessman would not likely be very successful if he did not know how to plan. The issue is that God is never mentioned. This is one more example of someone who disrespects God’s sovereignty. The person in James’ example has made the impertinent assumption that he is the one who is omniscient, and not needing to rely upon God. James responds to this presumption in the very next verse with a very bleak and harsh observation. (James 4:14). If we are saved, every day we will live out God’s will. It is only by His sovereign will that we are here from one day to the next, as James reminds us. This means letting the Spirit control us. The true believer is the one who seeks divine counsel and puts God in the center of everything; the one who makes God the architect of his life. James would have us be doers of the Word – and God’s will – not just hearers. Remember Jesus’ words in John 13:17: “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.” Read: Ephesians 6:6, Hebrews 13:20-21
Posted on: Mon, 18 Aug 2014 10:13:11 +0000