S - Submit yourselves 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
James 4:7-8 ESV
O - Commentary:
Like a magnet, the call for commitment has both positive and negative poles: submit … to God and resist the devil. “Submit” is a military term “to be subordinated” or “to render obedience.” “Resist” (antistēte) means “take a stand against.” Take a stand against the devil, and he will flee.
4:8. On the other hand draw near to God and He will come near in response. To draw near to God, however, demands His cleansing. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Both “wash” and “purify” are verbs that refer to ceremonial cleansing, a figure that spoke eloquently to Jewish converts. The need for cleansing is clear from the way James addressed his readers, “you sinners” and “you double-minded
J. Ronald Blue, “James,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 830.
A – Four words jump off the page. Four steps toward God.
Submit. This is surrender. It means God goes in first place, the top spot, and nothing else goes there. When He’s in His rightful place, surrender comes easier. The fight starts when we wrestle with Him over who’s in control.
Resist. Resisting takes effort. It means pushing back against real opposition. My resistance is only as strong as my conviction. When my heart is aligned with God, I have solid ground to stand on. And here’s the promise: stand your ground, and the devil runs.
Draw near. This takes effort too. But think about it: a holy God invites us into His presence. We take a step, and He steps toward us. Every time.
Cleanse and purify. This is the lifelong journey of our hands and hearts becoming more like His. What we do and who we are, both made clean.
Put all four together and you have a life that honors God and brings Him glory. So which step is yours today?
R – Heavenly Father, You are God, and we are not. Give us strength today to take these steps: to submit, to resist, to draw near, and to be made pure. We want to be closer to You today than we were yesterday. Thank You for coming near when we come near. Amen.
