7 December | EVERYONE
«Therefore submit 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.» James. 4: 7 8
Sin destroys you. First, it separates you from God. That is why James’s advice is to turn to God and submit to Him. Second, sin stains our life, pollutes it, and leads you to commit disastrous actions. That is why James admonishes, “Cleanse your hands.” And finally, it leads you to hypocrisy and duplicity. On the outside you may seem “wonderful”, but on the inside you are falling apart and feeling unclean. That is why the exhortation is: “Purify your hearts.”
The verb ‘purify’ is used in the Bible, in 90% of cases, in the passive voice, implying that human beings cannot purify themselves. They can only draw near to God. Wounded, filthy, bleeding, destroyed, finished, putrid like the leper. God cleanses them, purifies them, heals them, restores them, and gives them a new heart.
The heart is the cradle of thoughts and intentions. It all starts in the heart. It is there that the most sinister plans are hatched. They are born as harmless, innocent little intentions, but they grow and take on grotesque forms.
Time then takes care of carrying the message to the rest of the body, which is responsible for practicing the sinful action. That is why James warns: “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil.” It is the only solution to the ravings of the heart.
Take Action
Only in Jesus can you “submit” to God (which means to adapt to His loving will for you), it is useless to try to do so through your own efforts. Once in Christ, He will purify your heart, giving you a new nature, and you will desire to follow God. Sing “Submit to God” (if possible, with your family).