How can we avoid "disorder" and "every evil practice" in our lives? Seeing the Problem Clearly James 3:16 says, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every evil practice.” • Jealousy—craving what belongs to someone else. • Selfish ambition—pushing our own agenda at others’ expense. Whenever those two attitudes take root, chaos and sin follow like weeds in an untended garden. Tracing the Roots • Jealousy springs from discontent (Exodus 20:17). • Selfish ambition flows from pride (Proverbs 16:18). When we let either attitude linger, disorder multiplies in our homes, churches, workplaces, and hearts. Choosing Heaven’s Wisdom Instead James immediately contrasts two kinds of wisdom. James 3:17-18: “But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap the fruit of righteousness.” Heavenly wisdom is the antidote to earthly chaos. Practical Ways to Starve Jealousy and Selfish Ambition • Nurture humility. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3). • Cultivate contentment. “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have” (Hebrews 13:5). • Celebrate others’ successes. “Rejoice with those who rejoice” (Romans 12:15). • Serve rather than scheme. “Through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13). • Pray for a pure heart. “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10). Guarding the Tongue James 3:6 calls the tongue “a world of wickedness.” • Pause before speaking; ask, Will these words build peace or stir disorder? • Speak truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). • Refuse gossip—jealousy’s favorite megaphone (Proverbs 16:28). Walking by the Spirit, Not the Flesh Galatians 5:19-23 lists the “works of the flesh” (including jealousy) and the “fruit of the Spirit.” • Daily surrender to the Spirit’s leading. • Replace jealousy with love, peace, and kindness. • Regularly examine motives: Am I driven by the Spirit or by self-promotion? Submitting to God’s Authority “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). • Draw near to God through Scripture and worship (James 4:8). • Confess and repent promptly when selfish ambition surfaces (1 John 1:9). • Remember that God “opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). Living in Accountable Community • Invite trusted believers to speak truth into your life (Proverbs 27:17). • Spur one another on to love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24-25). • Celebrate unity; disorder loses its grip where brothers dwell in harmony (Psalm 133:1). Resting in Christ’s Finished Work At the cross, Jesus broke the power of sin and self. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). • Lean on His grace; we fight jealousy and selfish ambition from a place of victory, not defeat. • Let His peace rule your heart (Colossians 3:15), crowding out disorder and every evil practice. |
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