SATURDAY January 18, 2020
God Gives Grace to the Humble
Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
James 4:5-6
The Apostle James wanted Christians to understand that if prayer was neglected in their lives, they would continue to act fleshly according to their carnal desires––wars and fights would exist among them. God does not reward the wicked or carnal person; He rewards those who are spiritual and those who seek wisdom from above––all things pure.
Our God is jealous of His children: “For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24, Hebrews 12:29). God loves us so much that nothing should ever take the place of Jesus Christ and His love. The Scriptures were not written in vain. The Holy Spirit is grieved by covetousness and carnality in our lives. Listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to us through the Scriptures: And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption (Ephesians 4:30). Yet we do not listen, and we constantly quench the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
What sins in the life of a Christian will quench the Spirit of God? They are anything that does not give the glory to God, such as gossiping, criticizing, judging or anything else done against a brother or sister. The Holy Spirit becomes hurt, and He cannot do His work effectively in your life––He cannot. We can quench the Holy Spirit by what comes out of our mouths. The words we speak from our lips come from our hearts.
I believe there is a problem with the attitude of the heart––pride. God resists the proud. We need to be broken before God. Who receives more grace? The humble, because they recognize their sinful condition.
The first work of the Spirit is to make a man look upon sin as an enemy and to deal with sin as an enemy, to hate it as an enemy, to loathe it as an enemy and to arm against it as an enemy.
~Thomas Brooks~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!