Tuesday: Cause of Conflict and Quarrels
Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members?
(James 4:1, NKJV; compare Gal. 5:17.) What basic conflict do both of these passages describe?
Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com
The opening verses of James 4 describe believers torn asunder by internal, bitter strife. There is an inward cause of the outward quarrels in the church: the cravings for pleasure (the word in Greek gives us our word hedonism). These sinful desires, which Paul metaphorically refers to as the flesh,
are actively making war against our higher, spiritual motivations. The Christian life involves a protracted battle which, if not governed by the wisdom from above
(James 3:17), spills out to the church itself and causes spiritual trauma among believers.
Read James 4:2-3. What specific sinful desires are mentioned, and how are they affecting the church?
These verses contain direct references to the Ten Commandments: You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain
(James 4:2, NKJV). The repeated references to the problem of envy, coveting, and cravings or passions (compare James 3:14, James 3:16) reflect a perspective similar to the one expressed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, in which the inner motivations, not just outward actions, are in view. Therefore, the reference to murder is probably meant, in this broader sense, to include anger. The earliest congregations probably did not have members killing each other. On the other hand, as we learn from the book of Acts, there were times, particularly in Jerusalem where James was based, when betrayal could easily have led to the arrest and putting to death of church members.
It is the love of self that brings unrest. When we are born from above, the same mind will be in us that was in Jesus, the mind that led Him to humble Himself that we might be saved. Then we shall not be seeking the highest place. We shall desire to sit at the feet of Jesus, and learn of Him.
-Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, p. 330, 331.
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Internal strife.
Reminds me of Paul who screamed, "Oh wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from this body of death!" The war against the flesh and its desires is the bitterest of all. You totally wish to do one good thing, your mind doesn't want any part of it. All you can think about is how to enrich yourself or feed the lust in you; or perhaps any physical gain or political points you may score from that good act. Heaven seems so far away and the Lord who dwells there so insignificant while your status and needs seem so under threat.
The loss of happiness through not doing what the selfiness inside you desires seems so immense, like the end of the world-at least Your world. That's the point at which the love of Christ seems so constraining, oh so restricting. But thanks be to God who in the same moments will already have given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ, a victory we can claim under His wings.
Any "victories" gained without relying on His power to save and cleanse are merely presumptive, cementing our selfish nature and hardening our hearts more.
How could you so aptly describe me, my dear brother! I praise God today for showing me myself as I really am and the struggle I need His help with daily. God bless you in your walk with Him too.
Thank you to to help us for learning Bible. continue to send us Sabbath School lesson to learn more day to day.
These verses are such an indictment of our interactions with our fellow believers. We are at war with each other! We try to fool ourselves that we are doing what is best for the group but James calls it like it is, it is war.
James tells us that the sad thing is that when we strive to get what we selfishly desire we won't get it and even if we do it won't make us happy.
But even worse we carry these selfish desires into our prayers and ask the LORD for things that are not good for us.
There is a whole bunch of texts that warn us that God will not listen to our prayers if they are selfish, but Praise the LORD, if we ask according to His will He hears and He acts for our benefit.
1Jn 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
1Jn 5:15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.
amen! let's leave the selfiness part at least when we pray and ask God for something!thank you Shirley for rep[ly
The greatest war ever fought is war against self. This is the war we all must win on a daily basis. Rom 6:12-13 says "Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God." Thanks be to God for Our Saviour Jesus Christ through whom we are dead to sin but alive to righteousness.
Our actions and words should not relate to the world’s standards because that's championing ones desires which leads the flesh to sin.Remember, when Moses was given the Ten commandments, God instructed him to tell the Israelites to observe, write them in their hearts.Why?They are the mirror to other nations.Even us, we are to reflect the the heavenly acquired wisdom of God.Gods' wisdom is all about pureness,patience,loving,considerate,submissive,full of mercy,fruitful,impartial and above all sincere.
Let us remain focused in doing the will of God, by bringing many to Christ.Remember, There are many people outside there who are anxiously in need of salvation yet we behave obnoxiously such that when they look at us, we are no different from the world.So lets be true lighten lamps that brighten the whole world and not obstacles to non-believers or our fellow members of the church.
"You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures" (James 4:2-3 NKJV). There are some who might read this part of James and conclude that all pleasure is sinful but I don't think that is what James is saying.
I believe we can gain a lot insight about this from what Jesus did at the wedding feast at Cana where He turned upwards to 350 gallons of water into beverage (Jn 2). He certainly didn't have to do that much in order to provide a sign of His relationship with the Father through a miracle but then God doesn't give by measure. As Ellen White said concerning this occasion:
Therefore, what James was referring to was the kind of pleasure seeking that pushes aside people for the sake of self worship. It is when a person will serve self in spite of the fact that he/she knows it will hurt and damage other people. When a person is willing to step on someone else to gain something then he/she has done what James is talking about.
War has been defined by some as "highly organized theft." Think about the implications of that definition with respect to what James said.
We should always ask for God's will in prayer. God's will is that all may receive salvation. A person ready for salvation is one who knows his inability when Christ is excluded in our day to day life. We must surrender every iota of our lives for His leadings and that way we shall overcome self.
Dear brethren, To overcome the cause of Conflict and Quarrels within ourselves, churches, homes among other we need total surrendered of self to God. In God we find wisdom that is very accurate, no backup is required to recharge for additional conflict and quarrels as God is not a warmonger but is a perfecter of our character, it is therefore paramount that we wholly depend on him . Additionally God´s first plan is always an everlasting solution, When we fail to surrender self to God we are like a man who only has a hammer, and tend to fix every problem as a nail. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we find a solution to the on going conflict and quarrels within our social networks. In the said chapter of Chronicles, God says" If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. My brother and sister, if you have read and heard these words from our savior, its high time we humbled ourselves before God when the room for forgiveness is still open.
Amen and well said...
If my people,
which are called by my name, shall
humble themselves, and pray, and seek
my face, and turn from their wicked
ways; then will I hear from heaven, and
will forgive their sin, and will heal their
land, this verse gives hope that,If we are to Let go of the earthly wisdom,God will heal us, what an assurance.
God, Thank you for giving us another chance.
amen
James 4:3 "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume [it] upon your lusts."
Sometimes we, like these Christians, pray for things that would not be for our own good, or the good of those around us. God will not answer a prayer to fill our greed. He will, however, answer a prayer for our needs.
One of the problems we Christians have is that we have the ability to dress up selfishness as something that is desirable within the church. How often to we see ourselves arguing that our church should take a particular action on worship style (add your own particular like here) and justifying that in terms of theological correctness? Many times such arguments are based on little more than a personal preference.
I remember a particular church member who would preface their arguments about church procedure with the words, "I have prayed about this a lot, and the Lord has impressed me to ...".
Many church conflicts can be resolved by working together for the good of others rather than insisting that we have got it right and everyone should see it our way.
Romans 12:17-21 ESV
Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Many church conflicts can be resolved by working together for the good of others rather than insisting that we have got it right and everyone should see it our way.