September 7, 2025 // James 4
APPLICATION: Read & watch/listen to James 4
Sermon: Humble Yourself to Seek God's Will
Life Application:
Humbling Yourself to Seek God’s Will
Richard Greenham was a model English pastor from a Puritan background. From 1570 to 1590 Greenham served as pastor in the small village of Dry Drayton, five miles north of Cambridge. During twenty years of ministry, Greenham arose on most days of the week at 4 a.m. to begin to minister among his rural congregation. After delivering an early morning sermon, he tramped through the fields of his parish, talking with farmers in his congregation as they worked the fields. On Sundays he preached twice, and he held a meeting with children before the evening service. Regularly he prayed, visited, and wept over the needs of his small congregation.
He led farmers in his parish to store corn and barley in times of plenty for the needs of the poor in times of lean harvest. He freely gave money to impoverished prisoners. He was a skilled master at providing comfort for wounded consciences. Many who came to him weeping went away with joy in their souls. By nature he avoided controversy, although his age was a time of great agitation in the churches. He felt that personal religion was much more important, and he urged his listeners to make it their ambition to seek God.
Greenham’s reputation for pastoral skill made him a legend among Puritans of his age. His location near Cambridge made it easy for travelers to beat a path to his door. Many of those who came wound up staying, spending the night, eating at his table, and participating in his times of instruction. His commitment and spiritual zeal became a source of encouragement and inspiration to godly pastors seeking a human model to imitate.
Despite his consistent zeal, Greenham did not reap much fruit among his people. The legend among Puritan pastors of his time was that “Greenham had pastures green but sheep full lean.” Many in his parish remained so ignorant and stubborn that little spiritual progress was possible. Greenham left his parish in 1590 and commented that he could see no fruit from his ministry except in one family.
But fruit he did have. Many of those visitors who came to his home became leaders in the next generation of English ministers. They ate freely of the spiritual feast he gave them as they visited his home. Although he saw little fruit in his parish, God saw to it that Greenham’s teaching and influence spread far abroad in the next generation. His faithful persistence produced among the next generation fruit which remained.
Many of us would find it easy to leave a task as difficult as Richard Greenham faced. We would seek more responsive ministries or people. Greenham stayed, taught those whom God sent him, and produced much fruit, chiefly in the next generation. He humbled himself to seek God’s will.
Doing God’s will is not always easy. It demands humility, repentance, discipline, and unflinching commitment. Not everyone wants to give this type of response to God. Doing God’s will always brings good. The good may take time to appear. It may not always be good in the sense that the individual who does good receives honor and recognition. It will be good in that God will receive honor. It will be good in that you will see peace, righteousness, and purity appear. When we submit ourselves to do God’s will, he will always produce a good result (Rom. 8:28).
To those who want to quit in the face of a hard task, James says, Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (Jas. 4:7). Those who follow James’s commands will find stamina to do God’s will and will receive honor from the Lord (Jas. 4:10) for a job well done.[1]
Digging Deeper :
A. Desires, Pleasures (vv. 1,3)
The niv translated the same Greek word (hedone) as desires (v. 1) and pleasures (v. 3). The Greek term stands behind our English derivative, hedonism. The word describes both the desire for pleasure (v. 1) and the pleasure itself (v. 3). The word appears only in three other New Testament passages, always carrying the suggestion of a self-centered, pleasure-filled lifestyle.
In Luke 8:14 it describes people “choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures.” In Titus 3:3 it pictures people “enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.” In 2 Peter 2:13 it portrays people whose “idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight.”
Christians can legitimately enjoy the pleasure of a moment of relaxation, listening to inspiring music. They can relish the joy of fellowship around a table with beloved family and good food given by God. However, the New Testament warns that Christians must not seek the pleasure which consists of self-indulgence, cheap thrills, and gains obtained by greed. Christians who seek these pleasures will forever live with unanswered prayers.
B. God's Conditions for Answering Prayer (v.3)
God does not answer all prayers Christians address to him. Scripture specifies at least four conditions which we must meet to receive answers to our prayers.
First, we must come in an attitude of faith. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt (Jas. 1:6).
Second, we must approach God with a commitment to obey him. “Dear friend, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:21–22).
Third, we must pray in accord with God’s will. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14–15).
Fourth, we must make our requests with a right motive as James tells us in 4:3. Self-centered motives prevent us from receiving God’s answer to our requests.
Even though we may meet the above conditions, God is not obligated to meet our request in the way we ask. He still may answer as he answered Paul. Paul asked God to remove the “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7–10). God left the thorn with Paul but gave him a plentiful supply of grace so that he understood both his weakness and God’s power.
C. The World (v.4)
World (kosmos) carries several possible meanings, depending on its context. Sometimes it describes the inhabitants of the world whom God loved (John 3:16). In other contexts it can refer to the planet earth (Matt. 4:8) or to the universe (Rom. 1:20).
In James 4:4 it refers to the lifestyle of a world regulated by goals and aims contrary to God’s commands. As Christians we live in this world, but we must not pursue its ideals. The Bible calls on believers not to “love the world” (1 John 2:15). We must never cultivate friendship with the world.
This does not suggest we must avoid contact with other human beings, and it does not indicate that we must live a monastic existence. We must not allow the goals and purposes of the world to become our goals and purposes. In all our actions we must “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).
D. Friendship with the World (v. 4)
When are we making friends with the world? How can we know if we are setting ourselves up to be at enmity with God? This is a condition we want to avoid. Here are some suggestions to help us discover when we are treading too closely to making friendships with the wrong people or institutions.
Above all, we must avoid making our friendship with the world and falling out of friendship with God. Our goal in life is to love God supremely and to permit our lives to be channels of obedience to him.
E. God’s Jealousy (v. 5)
Human jealousy is reprehensible because it is fueled by envy, greed, and mistrust. When we develop jealousy of others, they usually have an appearance, possessions, or a position we want. Our envy of their appearance, material possessions, or public prominence comes from discontent with our situation and a desire to possess what they have.
In James 4:5, we read a description of the jealousy of God. The term jealousy does not appear in the NIV text, but it does appear in the NIV textual note. Jealousy is one characteristic of the God who is the only true and proper object of our worship. It became a part of a major confession of faith about God in the Old Testament (Exod. 20:5; 34:14; Deut. 4:24; 6:15; Josh. 24:19; Nah. 1:2).
God is jealous in that he will allow us to have no rivals for commitment to him. He is unapologetic in asking for our complete obedience (John 14:21). We sometimes speak of a jealous husband or wife. We recognize that it is entirely proper for a spouse to expect the complete commitment of a partner who has pledged to show love until “death do us part.”
God’s grace supplies us the strength to give him undivided allegiance. He provides us the strength to serve him with an obedient heart. As the followers of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, we should daily count it a privilege that we can render to him our full commitment.
F. Resisting the Devil (v. 7)
“Devil” (diabolos) literally means “slanderer.” The word pictures the devil as one who misrepresents God to human beings (see his action in Gen. 3:1) and human beings to God (see his action in Job 1:9–11). The devil refuses to submit to God and is determined to prevent believers from obeying God. We must resist the devil incessantly and unrelentingly.
How do we resist the devil? We must surround ourselves with God’s strength. Paul urged the Ephesians to “put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph. 6:11). The act of resistance includes our making a commitment to practice righteousness, live in truth, demonstrate faith, use God’s Word, and exercise assurance of salvation. As we live in conflict with Satan, we must pray strongly for one another (Eph. 6:18).
The act of resisting the devil requires determined opposition to him. We must also submit to God and draw near to him. As we submit to God and live in obedience to him, we will experience his guidance, strength, and protection as we face temptations.
James promised that those who resist the devil will learn that he will flee from us. As we oppose Satan’s strategies, we must not doubt or waver, but remain bold and confident in the Lord. As we confront him with a determined will and unflinching confidence in God, we will expose him as a coward. Jesus’ death on the cross has made the devil a defeated foe (Heb. 2:14). As long as we draw our strength from the Lord and refuse to consent to Satan’s temptations, we can remain victorious against the devil’s deceitful deeds.
G. Christian Laughter (v.9)
The Bible recognizes that laughter and good humor are a great gift from God. The Book of Job states approvingly that God will “fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy” (Job 8:21).
The Bible also recognizes that some laughter comes from flippant attitudes and from indecent jokes. Jesus pronounced a woe on those whose laughter showed a culpable ignorance of their true condition (Luke 6:25). Paul warned the Ephesians to avoid “obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking” (Eph. 5:4).
In James 4:9, the Lord’s brother saw some of his readers showing a casual, tolerant attitude toward sins and disobedience. Only those who mourned and wept over their sins would enjoy God’s blessedness and laugh with a joy that was pure, satisfying, and blameless. His warnings have great application to people today who show a careless, accepting outlook toward disobedience when they should flee from it instead.
H. Judging Our Neighbors (vv. 11-12)
These verses warn us against slandering one another. They lead us to ask, Is any criticism of another person wrong? If any criticism were wrong, how could a church carry out the type of discipline advocated by Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:3–5?
What James denounced was critical, insulting speech intended to belittle someone else and to embarrass that person before others. The evil lay in the hostile intention of the speaker. The speaker wanted to destroy the character or position of the person being criticized.
James warned that such vicious insults violated the law of love. The speakers implied by their criticism that they were acting under higher principles than the one they criticized. They set themselves above the law as a judge. In their pride and arrogance they were acting the role of God.
The Bible calls on believers to remove evil from their midst (1 Cor. 5:6–8). This will demand clear exposure and confrontation of evil deeds and evil people. James, however, recognized that it is easy for Christians to lapse into a harsh, unjustified, self-promoting criticism of one another. He denounced this type of action.
I. The Will of God (v. 15)
The Lord’s will involves God’s plan for our lives, actions, and accomplishments. Christians must actively seek this will and do it. We must not merely mouth our obedience to the Lord’s will as a device to mask our own plans. It is imperative for Christians earnestly to seek God’s desires for their plans, goals, and actions. Paul wished farewell to the Ephesian Christians with the words, “I will come back if it is God’s will” (Acts 18:21). He indicated to the Corinthians that he would visit them “if the Lord is willing” (1 Cor. 4:19).
To early Christians the sovereignty of God was a deeply personal reality. We who live today must make the seeking and doing of God’s will our chief aim in life. We must not allow our advocacy of doing God’s will to degenerate into a glib, formal expression empty of all spiritual reality.
Our recognition of our dependence on God for the future should not lead to inactivity, nor should it discourage future planning. We must plan our future with a zestful seeking of God’s will. When we commit our plans to him and seek his will, we can proceed into the future with a conviction that God’s grace sustains and empowers us. He will show us where he is actively at work and will draw us in to join him in that work.
J. Sins of Omission (v. 17)
This verse introduces us to a new category of sins, often called “sins of omission.” This category emphasizes that what we fail to do in obeying God is just as important and significant as our acts of open disobedience.
The preceding verses warn us that God holds our future in his hands. Our life and prosperity are dependent on God and his grace. If we continue planning our lives without demonstration of dependence on God, we fail to know the good and are guilty of sin. Failing to seek God’s will is a sin.
These words introduce the possibility of a broader application. Whenever we fail to follow a conscious commitment to Christ, we have omitted a deed of obedience and are involved in sin. Any action in which we reduce or omit obedience becomes sin in God’s sight.
Our failures to seek God by prayer, Bible reading, and worship are sins of omission. Our omission of helpful acts of service to other human beings constitutes an act of disobedience. We must be people who confess to God our overt acts of disobedience. We must also ask him to show us those things we have forgotten to do.[2]
Questions to Consider:
Prayer Time:
[1] Thomas D. Lea, Hebrews, James, vol. 10, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 327–328.
[2] Thomas D. Lea, Hebrews, James, vol. 10, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 328–333.
[3] Thomas D. Lea, Hebrews, James, vol. 10, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 335.
Sermon: Humble Yourself to Seek God's Will
Life Application:
Humbling Yourself to Seek God’s Will
Richard Greenham was a model English pastor from a Puritan background. From 1570 to 1590 Greenham served as pastor in the small village of Dry Drayton, five miles north of Cambridge. During twenty years of ministry, Greenham arose on most days of the week at 4 a.m. to begin to minister among his rural congregation. After delivering an early morning sermon, he tramped through the fields of his parish, talking with farmers in his congregation as they worked the fields. On Sundays he preached twice, and he held a meeting with children before the evening service. Regularly he prayed, visited, and wept over the needs of his small congregation.
He led farmers in his parish to store corn and barley in times of plenty for the needs of the poor in times of lean harvest. He freely gave money to impoverished prisoners. He was a skilled master at providing comfort for wounded consciences. Many who came to him weeping went away with joy in their souls. By nature he avoided controversy, although his age was a time of great agitation in the churches. He felt that personal religion was much more important, and he urged his listeners to make it their ambition to seek God.
Greenham’s reputation for pastoral skill made him a legend among Puritans of his age. His location near Cambridge made it easy for travelers to beat a path to his door. Many of those who came wound up staying, spending the night, eating at his table, and participating in his times of instruction. His commitment and spiritual zeal became a source of encouragement and inspiration to godly pastors seeking a human model to imitate.
Despite his consistent zeal, Greenham did not reap much fruit among his people. The legend among Puritan pastors of his time was that “Greenham had pastures green but sheep full lean.” Many in his parish remained so ignorant and stubborn that little spiritual progress was possible. Greenham left his parish in 1590 and commented that he could see no fruit from his ministry except in one family.
But fruit he did have. Many of those visitors who came to his home became leaders in the next generation of English ministers. They ate freely of the spiritual feast he gave them as they visited his home. Although he saw little fruit in his parish, God saw to it that Greenham’s teaching and influence spread far abroad in the next generation. His faithful persistence produced among the next generation fruit which remained.
Many of us would find it easy to leave a task as difficult as Richard Greenham faced. We would seek more responsive ministries or people. Greenham stayed, taught those whom God sent him, and produced much fruit, chiefly in the next generation. He humbled himself to seek God’s will.
Doing God’s will is not always easy. It demands humility, repentance, discipline, and unflinching commitment. Not everyone wants to give this type of response to God. Doing God’s will always brings good. The good may take time to appear. It may not always be good in the sense that the individual who does good receives honor and recognition. It will be good in that God will receive honor. It will be good in that you will see peace, righteousness, and purity appear. When we submit ourselves to do God’s will, he will always produce a good result (Rom. 8:28).
To those who want to quit in the face of a hard task, James says, Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (Jas. 4:7). Those who follow James’s commands will find stamina to do God’s will and will receive honor from the Lord (Jas. 4:10) for a job well done.[1]
Digging Deeper :
A. Desires, Pleasures (vv. 1,3)
The niv translated the same Greek word (hedone) as desires (v. 1) and pleasures (v. 3). The Greek term stands behind our English derivative, hedonism. The word describes both the desire for pleasure (v. 1) and the pleasure itself (v. 3). The word appears only in three other New Testament passages, always carrying the suggestion of a self-centered, pleasure-filled lifestyle.
In Luke 8:14 it describes people “choked by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures.” In Titus 3:3 it pictures people “enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.” In 2 Peter 2:13 it portrays people whose “idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight.”
Christians can legitimately enjoy the pleasure of a moment of relaxation, listening to inspiring music. They can relish the joy of fellowship around a table with beloved family and good food given by God. However, the New Testament warns that Christians must not seek the pleasure which consists of self-indulgence, cheap thrills, and gains obtained by greed. Christians who seek these pleasures will forever live with unanswered prayers.
B. God's Conditions for Answering Prayer (v.3)
God does not answer all prayers Christians address to him. Scripture specifies at least four conditions which we must meet to receive answers to our prayers.
First, we must come in an attitude of faith. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt (Jas. 1:6).
Second, we must approach God with a commitment to obey him. “Dear friend, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:21–22).
Third, we must pray in accord with God’s will. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14–15).
Fourth, we must make our requests with a right motive as James tells us in 4:3. Self-centered motives prevent us from receiving God’s answer to our requests.
Even though we may meet the above conditions, God is not obligated to meet our request in the way we ask. He still may answer as he answered Paul. Paul asked God to remove the “thorn in the flesh” (2 Cor. 12:7–10). God left the thorn with Paul but gave him a plentiful supply of grace so that he understood both his weakness and God’s power.
C. The World (v.4)
World (kosmos) carries several possible meanings, depending on its context. Sometimes it describes the inhabitants of the world whom God loved (John 3:16). In other contexts it can refer to the planet earth (Matt. 4:8) or to the universe (Rom. 1:20).
In James 4:4 it refers to the lifestyle of a world regulated by goals and aims contrary to God’s commands. As Christians we live in this world, but we must not pursue its ideals. The Bible calls on believers not to “love the world” (1 John 2:15). We must never cultivate friendship with the world.
This does not suggest we must avoid contact with other human beings, and it does not indicate that we must live a monastic existence. We must not allow the goals and purposes of the world to become our goals and purposes. In all our actions we must “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” (Matt. 6:33).
D. Friendship with the World (v. 4)
When are we making friends with the world? How can we know if we are setting ourselves up to be at enmity with God? This is a condition we want to avoid. Here are some suggestions to help us discover when we are treading too closely to making friendships with the wrong people or institutions.
- We make friendship with the world whenever we act in a way which is characteristic of the world such as displaying envy, strife, selfish ambition, jealousy, and hypocrisy (see Jas. 3:13–18).
- We make friendship with the world whenever we tolerate a rival to the absolute lordship of Jesus Christ. What is most important to you? If it is job, pleasure, recognition, personal accomplishment, or personal gain, then you have set yourself at enmity toward God.
- We make friendship with the world whenever we cherish a relationship with persons, institutions, or organizations which are indifferent to or hostile to God.
Above all, we must avoid making our friendship with the world and falling out of friendship with God. Our goal in life is to love God supremely and to permit our lives to be channels of obedience to him.
E. God’s Jealousy (v. 5)
Human jealousy is reprehensible because it is fueled by envy, greed, and mistrust. When we develop jealousy of others, they usually have an appearance, possessions, or a position we want. Our envy of their appearance, material possessions, or public prominence comes from discontent with our situation and a desire to possess what they have.
In James 4:5, we read a description of the jealousy of God. The term jealousy does not appear in the NIV text, but it does appear in the NIV textual note. Jealousy is one characteristic of the God who is the only true and proper object of our worship. It became a part of a major confession of faith about God in the Old Testament (Exod. 20:5; 34:14; Deut. 4:24; 6:15; Josh. 24:19; Nah. 1:2).
God is jealous in that he will allow us to have no rivals for commitment to him. He is unapologetic in asking for our complete obedience (John 14:21). We sometimes speak of a jealous husband or wife. We recognize that it is entirely proper for a spouse to expect the complete commitment of a partner who has pledged to show love until “death do us part.”
God’s grace supplies us the strength to give him undivided allegiance. He provides us the strength to serve him with an obedient heart. As the followers of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, we should daily count it a privilege that we can render to him our full commitment.
F. Resisting the Devil (v. 7)
“Devil” (diabolos) literally means “slanderer.” The word pictures the devil as one who misrepresents God to human beings (see his action in Gen. 3:1) and human beings to God (see his action in Job 1:9–11). The devil refuses to submit to God and is determined to prevent believers from obeying God. We must resist the devil incessantly and unrelentingly.
How do we resist the devil? We must surround ourselves with God’s strength. Paul urged the Ephesians to “put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Eph. 6:11). The act of resistance includes our making a commitment to practice righteousness, live in truth, demonstrate faith, use God’s Word, and exercise assurance of salvation. As we live in conflict with Satan, we must pray strongly for one another (Eph. 6:18).
The act of resisting the devil requires determined opposition to him. We must also submit to God and draw near to him. As we submit to God and live in obedience to him, we will experience his guidance, strength, and protection as we face temptations.
James promised that those who resist the devil will learn that he will flee from us. As we oppose Satan’s strategies, we must not doubt or waver, but remain bold and confident in the Lord. As we confront him with a determined will and unflinching confidence in God, we will expose him as a coward. Jesus’ death on the cross has made the devil a defeated foe (Heb. 2:14). As long as we draw our strength from the Lord and refuse to consent to Satan’s temptations, we can remain victorious against the devil’s deceitful deeds.
G. Christian Laughter (v.9)
The Bible recognizes that laughter and good humor are a great gift from God. The Book of Job states approvingly that God will “fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy” (Job 8:21).
The Bible also recognizes that some laughter comes from flippant attitudes and from indecent jokes. Jesus pronounced a woe on those whose laughter showed a culpable ignorance of their true condition (Luke 6:25). Paul warned the Ephesians to avoid “obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking” (Eph. 5:4).
In James 4:9, the Lord’s brother saw some of his readers showing a casual, tolerant attitude toward sins and disobedience. Only those who mourned and wept over their sins would enjoy God’s blessedness and laugh with a joy that was pure, satisfying, and blameless. His warnings have great application to people today who show a careless, accepting outlook toward disobedience when they should flee from it instead.
H. Judging Our Neighbors (vv. 11-12)
These verses warn us against slandering one another. They lead us to ask, Is any criticism of another person wrong? If any criticism were wrong, how could a church carry out the type of discipline advocated by Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:3–5?
What James denounced was critical, insulting speech intended to belittle someone else and to embarrass that person before others. The evil lay in the hostile intention of the speaker. The speaker wanted to destroy the character or position of the person being criticized.
James warned that such vicious insults violated the law of love. The speakers implied by their criticism that they were acting under higher principles than the one they criticized. They set themselves above the law as a judge. In their pride and arrogance they were acting the role of God.
The Bible calls on believers to remove evil from their midst (1 Cor. 5:6–8). This will demand clear exposure and confrontation of evil deeds and evil people. James, however, recognized that it is easy for Christians to lapse into a harsh, unjustified, self-promoting criticism of one another. He denounced this type of action.
I. The Will of God (v. 15)
The Lord’s will involves God’s plan for our lives, actions, and accomplishments. Christians must actively seek this will and do it. We must not merely mouth our obedience to the Lord’s will as a device to mask our own plans. It is imperative for Christians earnestly to seek God’s desires for their plans, goals, and actions. Paul wished farewell to the Ephesian Christians with the words, “I will come back if it is God’s will” (Acts 18:21). He indicated to the Corinthians that he would visit them “if the Lord is willing” (1 Cor. 4:19).
To early Christians the sovereignty of God was a deeply personal reality. We who live today must make the seeking and doing of God’s will our chief aim in life. We must not allow our advocacy of doing God’s will to degenerate into a glib, formal expression empty of all spiritual reality.
Our recognition of our dependence on God for the future should not lead to inactivity, nor should it discourage future planning. We must plan our future with a zestful seeking of God’s will. When we commit our plans to him and seek his will, we can proceed into the future with a conviction that God’s grace sustains and empowers us. He will show us where he is actively at work and will draw us in to join him in that work.
J. Sins of Omission (v. 17)
This verse introduces us to a new category of sins, often called “sins of omission.” This category emphasizes that what we fail to do in obeying God is just as important and significant as our acts of open disobedience.
The preceding verses warn us that God holds our future in his hands. Our life and prosperity are dependent on God and his grace. If we continue planning our lives without demonstration of dependence on God, we fail to know the good and are guilty of sin. Failing to seek God’s will is a sin.
These words introduce the possibility of a broader application. Whenever we fail to follow a conscious commitment to Christ, we have omitted a deed of obedience and are involved in sin. Any action in which we reduce or omit obedience becomes sin in God’s sight.
Our failures to seek God by prayer, Bible reading, and worship are sins of omission. Our omission of helpful acts of service to other human beings constitutes an act of disobedience. We must be people who confess to God our overt acts of disobedience. We must also ask him to show us those things we have forgotten to do.[2]
Questions to Consider:
- Is something missing in your prayer life so that you do not seem to be receiving answers from God? What do you think is missing? What will you do about it?
- What are your sins of omission? When will you begin doing what you know you should be doing?
- In what ways are you a friend of the world? How will you break off this friendship so you can be sure you are a friend of God?
- Are you guilty of slandering other believers? When will you repent? How will this repentance work itself out in your relationship to the other party?[3]
Prayer Time:
[1] Thomas D. Lea, Hebrews, James, vol. 10, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 327–328.
[2] Thomas D. Lea, Hebrews, James, vol. 10, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 328–333.
[3] Thomas D. Lea, Hebrews, James, vol. 10, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1999), 335.