Outward Effects of Inward Desires

            We have all dealt with fights and arguments in our lives. You may be dealing with one right now as you read this entry. In our age of social media and the ability to share our opinions openly, these fights and quarrels become much more prominent in our lives, and sometimes we sit back and watch others fight. Whether it is politics, relationships, the choice in worship music, or even the choice of carpet color, we all experience these fights and arguments. But why does this seem to happen so often? God’s word is clear that there is an underlying issue at hand that needs to be dealt with. James even warns Christians in his letter about what the problem really is.

            James, writing to the Jewish Christians still attending the Synagogue, notes two fundamental issues within their fights and arguments: desires of the heart and pride. James then tells them how to better deal with these issues: humility before God. As Jewish Christians, there was a lot of persecution to deal with, even from the non-converted Jews of the day. Pride in keeping the law was a key point of interest here, but so was the issue of greed amongst the Jews (James 2:6). In James 4:1-10, James takes the opportunity to address the fighting and quarreling of his readers (James 4:1), the Jewish Christians.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

1 Peter 2:11 (ESV)

Desires

            The first issue James deals with is the issue of inward desires. As Peter puts it (1 Peter 2:11), Passions of the flesh are the things that are waging war against us. James says, “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. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions (James 4:2-3).” You have these inward desires and are fighting and arguing because you are not getting those things. In other words, when we don’t get our way, we act like little children and throw a temper tantrum.

We can always identify our desires because those desire always begin with “I want.” I want green carpet in the sanctuary. I want to sing hymns for the worship service. I want a prayer service two times a week. We want many things, and Jesus explains that our heart’s desires are the root of everything we say, do, and think. We inevitably get angry and fight when we don’t get what we want. But where does pride fit into this?

Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

Proverbs 16:18 (ESV)

Pride

            Desires say, “I want,” but pride says, “I deserve.” It isn’t just that we want many things, but we tend to think we deserve them. In chapter one, James explained that “desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin (James 1:19).” Pride pushes us to act on our desires. I want green carpet in the sanctuary, and I have been here longer than anyone, so I should get my way! Says the faithful churchgoer. I want dinner on the table when I get home; I have been working all day in the heat, so you should cook dinner and have it ready when I walk in the door! Says the husband to his wife. Do you see how the desire for something is there, and then pride sneaks in and pushes us to act on that desire? But God gives more grace! Because God loves us so much and “yearns jealously for the spirit he put in us,” God gives grace and helps us to overcome these sinful patterns.

Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

Matthew 23:12 (ESV)

Humility

            The answer to controlling our desires and pridefulness is to humble ourselves and submit to God (James 8:8-10). This leads the devil away from us and allows us to draw near to God. Repentance is never easy, but we must draw near to God. James expresses this in verses eight through ten. We must cleanse our hands, purify our hearts, and let God exalt us rather than try to exalt ourselves. Jesus himself tells us, “Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted (Matt. 23:12).” It is a coming clean before our holy God and letting our desires be transformed: as St Augustine says, “As a tree must strike root deep downwards that it may grow upwards, so a man’s spirit must be rooted in humility, or he is only lifted up to his own hurt.” We must humble ourselves and control our desires, not letting pride push us to argue and fight.

Questions for Reflection

1. What desires do I have that drive me to argue and fight with others?

2. How do I humble myself before the Lord?

3. What are my “I wants” and “I deserves?”