Bible Reading Plan

James 4

Chapter 4

Proud or Humble

¹ What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don't they come from the cravings^(a) that are at war within you?^{[a] 2} You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask. ³ You ask and don't receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your evil desires.^(b)

⁴ Adulteresses!^[b][c] Don't you know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? So whoever wants to be the world's friend becomes God's enemy.^{(c) 5} Or do you think it's without reason the Scripture says that the Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously?^[d](d)

⁶ But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says:

⁷ Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you.^{(f) 8} Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people!^{(g) 9} Be miserable and mourn and weep. Your laughter must change to mourning and your joy to sorrow.^{(h) 10} Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.

¹¹ Don't criticize one another, brothers. He who criticizes a brother or judges his brother criticizes the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.^{(i) 12} There is one lawgiver and judge^[f] who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?^(j)

Our Will and His Will

¹³ Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will travel to such and such a city and spend a year there and do business and make a profit."^{(k) 14} You don't even know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like smoke that appears for a little while, then vanishes.^(l)

¹⁵ Instead, you should say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." ¹⁶ But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.^{(m) 17} So it is a sin for the person who knows to do what is good and doesn't do it.⁽ⁿ⁾