14 day plan

Intimacy with God - Part 1

Day 1 of 14

NIV

James 4:6

6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud

but shows favor to the humble.”

Reflection:  No one knows God without humility. It is only those who have a right understanding of themselves before a holy God who truly know him.  Pride does the opposite. Pride sets up a person’s own opinion, own glory, against God. It is little wonder Scripture says that God opposes the proud (James 4:6). It’s a strong word. God is not indifferent or vaguely dismissive of the proud; he opposes them. But those who seek him with humility, who are aware of their mortality and have a true perspective of themselves before a holy God (Psalm 39:4-7), they are the ones who find him.

Humility is the bridge one must cross in order to find God and experience his favour. God says to his people in the Old Testament: ‘If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land’ (2 Chronicles 7:14).

It begins with humility.

Prayer:  Dear Father,  I dare not cling to anything in the belief it buys me the right to your favour. It is by your grace alone that I stand before you. And that grace gives me the greatest confidence a person can have. Thank you, Lord.  In Jesus name.  Amen.

James 4:1-17

Submit Yourselves to God

1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

4You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us? 6But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud

but shows favor to the humble.”

7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

11Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it, but sitting in judgment on it. 12There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?

Boasting About Tomorrow

13Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” 16As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.