"Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?"
{James 4:5} (NIV)
There is no specific verse from the Old Testament being quoted here by James. He is instead referring to the overall message of the Old Testament. The list of suggested readings this week at Parkdale will give us some of the Scriptures that teach this truth. The truth is that God wants all of His children’s love. He is not willing to share our love with anyone else, or anything else. Our love for God is expressed through obedience, for He is God and we are lessor, therefore obedience is proof of love.
Many of us fool ourselves into believing that emotional feelings and specific acts of service are what God desires, and yet Scripture teaches clearly that what God desires is complete love, perfect love, which means complete and perfect obedience to His Word and His Spirit. This truth is the solid ground ton which James bases his instructions for us to be unfriendly to the world. Don’t make the mistake that he is teaching us to be unfriendly to the people in the world. NO! He is teaching us that we are not to be friendly with their ways, their behaviours, and their system of life. For it is a system designed to cause us to disobey. It is designed to feed our sin nature, and it is designed to draw our love away from our Great Lover towards ourselves and the pleasure that sin brings.
Oh friend, is it not truly amazing that God would desire our love? Our love; who would think it would be important to HIM?
Suggested Reading: Exodus 32-34; Deut 4:1-40; Joshua 24:1-28; Ps 78; Song of Solomon 8:5-7; Hosea 1-3; Mk 12:28-31; 1 Cor 10; 2 Cor 11:1,2; James 4:1-10; Rev 2:1-7; Rev 3:14-22
Truly amazing! So true. Who would think it would be important to Him?
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