James 4:7 – May 29, 2019

So submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7 NABRE     

In this section of the Letter of James, James is exhorting his readers to a program of conversion. Submit yourself to God means to voluntarily become subject to God and to follow His commands. It is an exhortation asking the people to return to the covenant relationship with God. God respects our freedom and does not force Himself on us, we must willingly open our hearts to His teaching. Next we see to resist the devil and he will flee from you. Which is followed by draw near to God and He will draw near to you. We must decide deep inside who we want to be near, the devil or God. Resisting the devil means consciously turning away from his incitements of envy, jealousy, and discord, which wreak havoc on our interior life and the community. We must battle this deep source of passion and not give into them. We must depend on the grace of God, to submit to God. James is inviting us to draw near to God in our entire life. God is eager for us to come to Him. We must approach God with the appropriate attitude which James goes on to describe.

God loves us and wants to be close to us always. We can remain close to God by submitting to His will and asking for the grace to remain close. God wants to be near to us always, but lets us choose what it is we want in life. Choosing God brings us to a life of joy, peace, and happiness. God will always take care of us. Submit yourself to God and draw near to Him and he will draw near to you.

Do you choose God daily? Do you submit to the will of God and count on God to bring a good life?

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