By: J.O. Lawal
Series: Youth for Jesus
Number: Vol. 9, No. 1
“But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth.” (James 3:14NIV)
Who is James speaking to here? He is speaking to believers in Christ Jesus. And he is saying that it is possible for them to nurse bitterness, envy, selfish ambition or any other form of evil in their hearts.Now does God expect any of His children to be bitter towards other people? No! Or does He expect any of them to be selfish or envious of another person? No!
Unfortunately, here and there, we find believers who are full of bitterness, envy or selfish ambitions. They may have all kinds of excuses for the presence of these things in their lives. But it won’t change the fact that they are nursing in them something that can make murderers of them.Look at Cain, for example. When God rejected his offering but accepted his brother’s, he got terribly upset. Therefore, God came to him to warn him to acknowledge his errors and deal with his anger. Why? It was so that his untreated anger will not give room for other forms of wickedness to take charge of him. (Cf. Gen 4:1-7)
Did Cain, then, listen to God? No, he did not. So, bitterness, envy and selfishness began to flood his heart. And before he knew what was happening to him, he had killed his own brother. Thus, he became the first murderer on the face of the earth. That, of course, brought him under God’s judgment. And life never remained the same for him afterwards. (Cf. Gen 4:8-16)
Now, so that we too will not end up like Cain, James warns us in our opening text of the need to deal with any form of bitterness, envy, selfishness or evil that may be in us. And how do we do that? First, don’t boast about it. In other words, don’t try to glorify something that is wrong by calling it a sweet name.
For instance, if you are selfish, don’t say that you are simply competitive. Or if you are envious of someone, don’t say that you just don’t like proud people around you. You are simply trying to glorify something destructive in your life. And as long as you are like that, you will never be free from the control of that thing.Second, don’t lie to yourself about the condition of your heart. If you are bitter towards someone, then, admit it. Don’t act as though everything were well between you and the person. In other words, don’t let anyone feel safe with you when they are not safe at all.
Instead, deal with the issue in your heart. And if you have to talk things out with the person involved so that your heart can be clear and free of evil, do so without delay. Otherwise, you too like Cain may end up murdering someone someday, even if you do not plan to do so. Then God’s judgment will have to come upon you for your wickedness. And who knows how He will judge?So, deal with whatever form of evil you have allowed to take root in your heart before it takes charge of you and turn you into a monster. And may the Spirit of God strengthen you to do so without delay, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
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