May 18
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JAMES 4
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? 2 You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel. You do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions
– James 4:1-3
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JAMES 4 PASSIONS AT WAR WITHIN YOU
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
Wanting something you do not have can lead to troubles
It distracts you from contentment and leads to quarrels
Expectations from yourself and from others become unrealistic
As you obsess and not have it, you can go ballistic.
When you see something you fancy, it can lead to cravings
These desires can make one incessantly obsessing
It may even lead to plotting to destroy someone
Desires can draw you to conflicts and consume you.
Ask the Lord when you need something
But ask according to his will and not your longings
The Lord meets your needs, not your wants
He grants only what is good for you and not the bad.
When you ask God for something, do it in faith
Having doubts means that you do not totally trust
Meditate on the word, renew your mind and you will please God
If you follow your passions and you will take the wrong path.
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REFLECTION
• Share an instance in your life that caused quarrels and fights with someone. Was James right when he said that it comes from passions at war within you?
• The word “passion” is defined by the dictionary as an object of desire or deep interest. What does James say about desire in James 1:14-15?