DEVOTION – DAY 501

James 4:4 “Friend Or Foe”

James 4:4 “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”

In this verse, the apostle James was warning people who were spiritually unfaithful – he referred to them as “adulterous people.” The people who were spiritually unfaithful were the people who on the surface profess that they were Christians. But in reality, they loved the world and the ways of the world more than they loved God. James warns such people that if they chose to be friends with the world, then, they would become enemies of God. It is not right to behave and act as a non-Christian all the time and to appear pious and holy when they attend church services once a week, or only on special festive occasions like Christmas and Easter.

As the US elections are upon us, one of the presidential candidates is Donald Trump. He considers himself a Christian and covets the prayers of Christians. He makes it a point to stand against abortion and he tries to garner the electoral support of US Christians to vote for him as their presidential choice. But Donald Trump is flawed because he is in the world. He lies frequently to get his way. He was well-known for his unproven claims that his presidential post was stolen from him at the last US election. Not only was this untrue, it had caused a riot and chaos to break out in the US Capitol. He has also been found guilty of sexual misconduct against women despite claiming that he was innocent of any wrong-doing. 

He is not alone in claiming piety in front of others to gain popularity, whilst behaving quite differently when he is out of the public eye. We know someone who used to go to church regularly with his family. But secretly, he had an addiction to gambling. His addiction soon led him into a life of debt and put a great strain on his relationship with his family, and his marriage. It eventually led to his downfall and financial ruin because he refused to change and give up gambling. He was an example of someone who had become an “adulterous person” and had gone far from God, as described by James in the above verse. 

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, you are All-powerful, All-present, All-knowing Living God. Nothing escapes you. Thank you for warning us against the danger of being a friend of the world. Help us always to be faithful and steadfast in you and your Word. We humbly pray in the precious name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Questions

1. What are some dangers people face when they are influenced by the dangers, ways and thinking of this world? How has it caused them to back-slide as Christians?
2. What are some of your own personal struggles with the temptations and powerful attractions of the ways of this world in your life? Share.
3. What steps should you take to resist being friends with this world and instead remain faithful to God and His Word? Share and Discuss.