What is the source of quarrels and conflicts

James 4 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? ² You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. ⁴ You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. ⁵ Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”? ⁶ But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” ⁷ Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ⁸ Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

¹¹ Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it. ¹² There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” ¹⁴ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” ¹⁶ But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Yesterday’s meditation included Romans 12:8 which says:  If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.  Today’s text begins saying:  What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel.   In truth much of the conflict in our society is rooted in these very things; jealousy, greed and self seeking. Those who stoke the fires of division will call it by many other names such as equality, choice and individual rights. They appeal to the lusts, greed and self focus, dividing using nearly every conceivable thing that makes people different; pitting one against the other.  The text says:  You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  The truth is, there can be no peace when we are in conflict with God. Much of the division and polarization in our society and culture is rooted in conflict with God. The text says:  “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.  In Psalm 37:1-11 the psalmist says:  Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb.  Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light And your judgment as the noonday.Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more;
And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there. But the humble will inherit the land And will delight themselves in abundant prosperity.   If everyone would not worry about what others have and what others do, but instead would draw near to God; would delight in Him, everyone would be satisfied in and by God. There would be no conflict between people; if they are at peace with God, they will be at peace with all men.  

Look again at what the psalmist says:  Yet a little while and the wicked man will be no more; And you will look carefully for his place and he will not be there.  The text says:  Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.  This physical, natural; carnal world and everything in it, every person is subject to finite time. Even for those who live long lives, one hundred or more years, it is but a twinkling in the scheme of eternity. In Matthew 6:19-21 Jesus says:  “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  In verses 31;33 He says:  “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’  But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”  Philippians 2:10-11 says:  At the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  There will come a time when there is no longer conflict between people and God. Then there will be peace between people as well. For now though each person has a choice. The text says: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you…  to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Thank You heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit; because of the cross, I can draw near to You. Because You humbled Yourself I can humble myself and be exhalted by You. As I delight in You and seek the eternal things of the kingdom of heaven, I know that I will be satified; that You will provide all that I need and I can be at peace with all men.  Amen