For the Lord is high, He regards the lowly, but the haughty He knows from afar. (Verse 6)
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/herself an enemy of God. 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"? But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4: 4-8 Italics, mine
Vanessa was almost four years old when a little girl moved in down the street from us. Also almost four years old. The child lived with her grandmother who had sole custody of her. I know there must have been issues in her little life. Her baby teeth were rotted and blackened. She wasn't always clean. And she ran around the neighborhood at will. Including crossing the relatively busy street in front of our house, daring traffic to hit her. Vanessa was told she could play with her new friend at our house. Where I could watch them. Our children understood they were never to run out into the street. There was no equivocation about it. Do not run out into the street!
Of course, there came that morning when I was doing dishes and Vanessa was with her new playmate. In a second's time, they were out the front door. By the time I reached the doorway, I could see my daughter with the little girl running with all their might into the middle of the road. "Vanessa Joy, get right back here!" Screaming my command at her as my heart beat with both anger and fear.
She turned her head, blond pigtails flapping in her face, and kept on going. "Vanessa!" Firmly this time. "Come and get me," she cried, taunting and testing. Flying into disobedience with a certain joy. Like running across the street was taking her into a foreign land filled with excitements she couldn't possibly imagine. And then there is the thrill of doing the thing that you know is wrong. Certainly rules are made to be broken because rules keep us from all the fun.
I came and got her. Bigger than she. Smarter than she. I grabbed her sweaty body up into my arms. Pointed out to the neighbor girl that their playtime was now over. And, yes, I swatted Vanessa on the rear. "You can never, ever do that again!" I didn't say: "If your friend jumped over a cliff, would you jump over with her?" Afraid, perhaps, the answer in that moment would be, "Yes!". My child stayed inside close to me that day. I was jealous over her life. Over the guidelines we'd set that kept our children safe. Farish children don't play in the traffic. And if their friends draw them away in rebellion, Farish parents go get them! It's just that simple. So, as I stooped down in front of Vanessa that morning, explaining why she must obey me, I was trying to make her understand that our guidelines were set up to protect her because we love her. She cried. I teared up. Looking into her big blue eyes as they tried to make sense of my words. My daughter had to calm her disobedience, too. It made her mad that I stopped her folly. Running headstrong into disobedience had the reward of the rush of adventure.
Not hard to see where I'm going with this. God has put His Spirit within those of us who are His. He doesn't want that tainted--marred by disobedience. The yielding of our lives to the enemy whose desire it is not only to confuse us, but to absolutely destroy us (John 10:10). As the good Father that He is, He will take charge. But it's a lot more difficult with who just want to disobey, knowing somewhere deep inside that God is making them miss the fun. It creates resistance in God, too. Those of us who keep on rebelling against His will create a certain determination in God toward us. It's very hard to help someone who doesn't want it. I'm glad to say today that Vanessa is grown up and not racing out into the street. She tested me in a thousand other ways, but the boundaries were firm. As an adult, she has said over and over again how grateful she is for parents who loved her enough to reign her in sometimes. We all test God this way. Even if it's just sticking our toe into territory He has deemed off limits. The humble have it a whole lot better. Sidling up to the Father in perfect peace. Knowing that He is right in His judgments. Loving in His responses. And if we keep kicking against what God knows is right for us, wanting to experience all the pleasures of the world (which, by the way, He doesn't withhold from us) with the world, we will eventually look just like everyone else. Not like a member of God's family.
Our God stoops to make us great (Psalm 18:35). For those who will listen, the Father will crouch down in front of our faces, as I did that day with Vanessa, and teach us how to be joyful, fruitful, peaceful and happy. It's what the world is looking for...in all the wrong places. God is higher than we are...thoughts and all. And the God of the universe wants to impart those thoughts to us! Draw near to the Father's face and listen. For He would stoop before you and speak life.
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/herself an enemy of God. 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"? But He gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4: 4-8 Italics, mine
Vanessa was almost four years old when a little girl moved in down the street from us. Also almost four years old. The child lived with her grandmother who had sole custody of her. I know there must have been issues in her little life. Her baby teeth were rotted and blackened. She wasn't always clean. And she ran around the neighborhood at will. Including crossing the relatively busy street in front of our house, daring traffic to hit her. Vanessa was told she could play with her new friend at our house. Where I could watch them. Our children understood they were never to run out into the street. There was no equivocation about it. Do not run out into the street!
Of course, there came that morning when I was doing dishes and Vanessa was with her new playmate. In a second's time, they were out the front door. By the time I reached the doorway, I could see my daughter with the little girl running with all their might into the middle of the road. "Vanessa Joy, get right back here!" Screaming my command at her as my heart beat with both anger and fear.
She turned her head, blond pigtails flapping in her face, and kept on going. "Vanessa!" Firmly this time. "Come and get me," she cried, taunting and testing. Flying into disobedience with a certain joy. Like running across the street was taking her into a foreign land filled with excitements she couldn't possibly imagine. And then there is the thrill of doing the thing that you know is wrong. Certainly rules are made to be broken because rules keep us from all the fun.
I came and got her. Bigger than she. Smarter than she. I grabbed her sweaty body up into my arms. Pointed out to the neighbor girl that their playtime was now over. And, yes, I swatted Vanessa on the rear. "You can never, ever do that again!" I didn't say: "If your friend jumped over a cliff, would you jump over with her?" Afraid, perhaps, the answer in that moment would be, "Yes!". My child stayed inside close to me that day. I was jealous over her life. Over the guidelines we'd set that kept our children safe. Farish children don't play in the traffic. And if their friends draw them away in rebellion, Farish parents go get them! It's just that simple. So, as I stooped down in front of Vanessa that morning, explaining why she must obey me, I was trying to make her understand that our guidelines were set up to protect her because we love her. She cried. I teared up. Looking into her big blue eyes as they tried to make sense of my words. My daughter had to calm her disobedience, too. It made her mad that I stopped her folly. Running headstrong into disobedience had the reward of the rush of adventure.
Not hard to see where I'm going with this. God has put His Spirit within those of us who are His. He doesn't want that tainted--marred by disobedience. The yielding of our lives to the enemy whose desire it is not only to confuse us, but to absolutely destroy us (John 10:10). As the good Father that He is, He will take charge. But it's a lot more difficult with who just want to disobey, knowing somewhere deep inside that God is making them miss the fun. It creates resistance in God, too. Those of us who keep on rebelling against His will create a certain determination in God toward us. It's very hard to help someone who doesn't want it. I'm glad to say today that Vanessa is grown up and not racing out into the street. She tested me in a thousand other ways, but the boundaries were firm. As an adult, she has said over and over again how grateful she is for parents who loved her enough to reign her in sometimes. We all test God this way. Even if it's just sticking our toe into territory He has deemed off limits. The humble have it a whole lot better. Sidling up to the Father in perfect peace. Knowing that He is right in His judgments. Loving in His responses. And if we keep kicking against what God knows is right for us, wanting to experience all the pleasures of the world (which, by the way, He doesn't withhold from us) with the world, we will eventually look just like everyone else. Not like a member of God's family.
Our God stoops to make us great (Psalm 18:35). For those who will listen, the Father will crouch down in front of our faces, as I did that day with Vanessa, and teach us how to be joyful, fruitful, peaceful and happy. It's what the world is looking for...in all the wrong places. God is higher than we are...thoughts and all. And the God of the universe wants to impart those thoughts to us! Draw near to the Father's face and listen. For He would stoop before you and speak life.
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