Reading
Ye
lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight
and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not,
because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Commentary
By way of the flesh, Christians sometimes war with one
another. We want things done our own way
in church, rather than yielding to our neighbor's will. We gossip about or slander our fellow
Christian, for we want to look good in comparison to him. We think we are good keepers of the law, yet
we forget to be merciful. We hate rather
than forgive, or we wound rather than heal.
In these words of James, the Lord's rebukes our sins. Because of our sins (lust, hatred, covetousness,
senseless fighting), for our benefit God sometimes chooses not to give. "Ye ask and receive not, because ye ask
amiss". While we are to call upon
Him in the day of trouble, and He wants us to bring our petitions to Him, it is
sinful to pray in a selfish way for self-glory.
Whenever we thus see in the past or present, our flesh has done more
"praying" than our spirit, let us become little children of Jesus
again, repent and rejoice these sins also are covered. Though we sometimes pray "amiss", always
through Christ our Mediator, God still hears and accepts our prayers. Take comfort also that through Christ, your
prayers are always perfect in His sight, even holy, for there is no unholiness
in Christ. "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our
infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the
Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered." Do not then be discouraged in your prayers,
but rather through Christ be encouraged.
No comments:
Post a Comment