As James
continued to share with his readers within the “twelve tribes
scattered abroad”, he instructed them to “submit”
themselves “to God” and
“resist the devil” and the result would be, “he
will flee from” them. In chapter four and verse eight of his
letter, James continued his directive as he wrote, “draw near to
God, and He will draw near to you” where we read:
you
sinners; and purify your
hearts, ye
double minded.
The
verse begins, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to
you.” James began with the
words, “Draw nigh”
which means “bring or join one thing near or to another and
approach” “to God” which
refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God
the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”, “and
he will draw nigh” which means
“God the Heavenly Father will bring or join one thing near or to
another and approach” “to you”
which refers to the people within “the twelve tribes
scattered abroad”. James
concluded that if his readers would “draw near or close
to God”, God would “draw
near or close to” them.
The
verse goes on to say, “Cleanse your
hands, you
sinners; and purify your
hearts, you
double minded.” James
continued, “cleanse”
or “make clean from physical stains and dirt, make free from
defilement, wickedness and guilt of sin, and to purify and consecrate
by cleansing or purifying” “your
hands”
which refers to “the idea of hollowness for grasping and use of as
an instrument”, “you sinners”
or “ones who are devoted to sin, not free from sin, pre-eminently
sinful and especially wicked”; “and
purify”
which means “cleanse ceremonially or morally”
“your hearts”
or “the center and seat of all physical and spiritual life”, “you
double minded” which
means “wavering, uncertain, doubting and divided in interest”.
James charged those who were among his readers to “clean up”
their lives as he labeled them “sinners”,
and “purify”
their “hearts”
as he called them “wavering and uncertain” folks.
When
we think through these words of James, we should take heed to his
commands and not simply admire them. We must “draw near to God”
if we desire Him to “draw near” to us, and as we
understand we are “sinners” with “wavering minds”
who not only need “cleansing” within but also “hearts”
purified, we shall align ourselves with the Heavenly Father. Jesus
Christ paid the ultimate price to “cleanse us from our sins”,
and as we desire to be purified and close to Him, we will find God
very close to us.
Next
time James tells his readers to “be
afflicted, and mourn, and weep”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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