James 4:6 (Devotion)

"But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.'"

In the first five verses of chapter 4, James presents a strong argument concerning the propensity of our flesh toward worldly passions and selfish ambitions. He cites these as causes for fights and quarrels within the church in that we are consumed by our fleshly desires to the point where no intervention is profitable for resolution apart from God. This compels us to various introspective questions. Why is God typically our last resort for intervention and not our first line of defense? Do we not trust His sovereignty in the darkest corners of our hearts? Are we not convinced that His grace is sufficient? James assures us that God has an infinite storehouse of grace reserved, despite our inability to comprehend how a Father would sacrifice His beloved Son to save sinful men. But in fact, that is the choice He made to ensure we would never be cut off from His eternal presence if we so choose to accept His free gift of salvation.

In order to fully grasp this truth, let us focus on 4 simple words: HE GIVES MORE GRACE. God (HE) is the author of creation, Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. He is the fountain of wisdom and true peace and happiness are found in Him. It is because of His character, He shares (GIVES) who He is through His Word. And not simply what we need for survival, but a bounty of blessing far greater (MORE) than we could possibly imagine. For true blessing has no monetary or intrinsic value this side of heaven, but eternal prosperity given freely as a gift that is unmerited (GRACE). These 4 simple words define the immeasurable love God has for us because they reveal how patient and long-suffering He is despite our stubborn hardheartedness, but it is our responsibility to adopt these words as absolute truth if we are to claim the blessing they promise.

Those who reject the gift of grace God gives do so in a spirit of pride which reveals their foolishness. They trust in their finite capacities because they are unwilling to relinquish universal control of their lives. They assume false attitudes of bondage when truth is presented before their eyes and reject divine revelation in favor of a false sense of worldly contentment. Pride blinds their logic just as it blinds our logic when we assume the same position toward God. Let us not fool ourselves. James speaks these words to us who have been given divine revelation and thus are without excuse. But we must also remember that God’s Word reminds us that while our efforts/works inevitably are insufficient, His grace is more than sufficient to atone for our inability to attain perfection in our Scriptural application. 

There is no doubt that we all struggle to one degree or another with worldliness. Temptations abound despite our most honest efforts to turn away from sin and embrace righteousness. However, God has provided a way of escape through grace and because of love. He does not disregard or ignore the wrathful judgment of His law for that is one-half of His character, but His law is balanced by His love through the cross of Calvary that ensures we are saved if we choose to accept His eternal gift of grace. For those that do, we understand that His grace is new every morning because each day presents us with a new myriad of spiritual attacks that magnify our failures and shortcomings. But again, His grace is sufficient and His patience immeasurable to the glory of His name, our Jealous God and Savior, if we accept it freely. The real question is whether we trust in His sufficiency or continue in pride to seek alternative methods of self-control over complete surrender to Christ.