James 4

Proud or Humble

1 What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don't they come from the cravings that are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask.

3 You ask and don't receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your evil desires.
4 Adulteresses! Don't you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world's friend becomes God's enemy.

5 Or do you think it's without reason the Scripture says that the Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously?

6 But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says:
God resists the proud,
but gives grace to the humble.
7 Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people! 9 Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow.

10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.
11 Don't criticize one another, brothers. He who criticizes a brother or judges his brother criticizes the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.

12 There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Our Will and His Will

13 Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit."

14 You don't even know what tomorrow will bring-what your life will be! For you are [like] smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes.
15 Instead, you should say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

17 So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn't do it.

James 4

1 Whence come wars and whence come fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your pleasures that war in your members?2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and covet, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war; ye have not, because ye ask not.3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures.4 Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God.5 Or think ye that the scripture speaketh in vain? Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying?6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore the scripture saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace to the humble.7 Be subject therefore unto God; but resist the devil, and he will flee from you.8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall exalt you.11 Speak not one against another, brethren. He that speaketh against a brother, or judgeth his brother, speaketh against the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judgest the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.12 One only is the lawgiver and judge, even he who is able to save and to destroy: but who art thou that judgest thy neighbor?13 Come now, ye that say, To-day or to-morrow we will go into this city, and spend a year there, and trade, and get gain:14 whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. What is your life? For ye are a vapor, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.15 For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall both live, and do this or that.16 But now ye glory in your vauntings: all such glorying is evil.17 To him therefore that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.