It’s Imperative

GETTING STARTED

Working, living, and serving with others means that we’re familiar with imperative sentences: Join the PTA. Work hard. Pay attention. Do your best. Eat your food. Say thank you. Imperative sentences give direct commands and, if we’re honest, sometimes cause us to bristle either inwardly or outwardly. Much like one of my children—who, when I said, “Brush your teeth,” replied, “But I did that yesterday”—we respond in a way that indicates we know better.  

  • Why do you think we often resist being told what to do?

READ THE WORD: JAMES 4:1-10 (ESV)

4:1 What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions. 4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? 6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

DIGGING DEEPER

(Today’s questions focus on verses 6-10.)

  1. “But” is a conjunction in verse 6 that connects God’s response to the foulness described in verses 1-5. What does God give in response?
  2. Based on the second part of verse 6, to whom does he give more grace?
  3. Verse 6 also quotes Proverbs 3:34 and states that God opposes the proud. What does pride cause that God would so adamantly oppose? What is the solution for pride given in the next verse?
  4. What are the commands in verses 7-10? What happens when we follow them (vss. 8, 10)?
  5. What daily commands can we submit to in order to better walk humbly with our God?

RESPOND TO GOD

James’ case for laying aside our pride, submitting to God, and dealing with our sin honestly is compelling. He is hard on us in the best way, but his words can be trusted. As the brother of Christ, James took a page out of the family scrapbook, and reminded us of our gracious and perfect Heavenly Father and of the malicious effects of pride. Pride caused the devil to feel he could successfully tempt God himself. In contrast, Christ responded to temptation by commanding the devil to flee and by submitting to his Father; he asks us to do the same. Once we have the faith and freedom to get over ourselves and trust God, the prize we get is more grace and more of God himself.

  • Ask God for the faith to submit to him today. Confess your pride and ask for forgiveness.
  • Draw near to God and enjoy him immensely.