Sometimes the pathway of return toward God is blocked by our own suppositions. We might suppose that because of what we have done, or said, or what we haven’t done, that God wouldn’t want us. 

 In the letter written by James, the brother of Jesus, we read about the heart of God and the pathway of return from one who had personally walked this journey. James grew up as the son of Mary and Joseph, with Jesus as his older half-brother. One would think that with this proximity to the Son of God, he would have been his ardent supporter and follower, but this wasn’t the case. In the gospels it was recorded that James and his brothers tried to stop Jesus’ ministry. The gospel writer, Mark, records, “when his family heard it  [crowds following him], they went out to seize him, for they were saying, ‘He is out of his mind!’ “(Mk.3:21) And the disciple John tells us that Jesus’ own brothers did not believe in him. (Jn.7:5)

 In looking back, James must have thought, how did I miss the truth that Jesus is the Son of God? How could I have not only doubted him but even ridiculed him as being a lunatic? And now that I have seen him alive, after having been crucified, I believe!  How will it ever be possible for me to be close to him after so many wasted years and such a wasted privilege?

James then writes these riveting words about his and anyone’s pathway of return, but especially to those who feel undeserving..

“Do you suppose that it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, ‘He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us’? But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ Submit yourselves therefore to God. (James 4:5-7)

God yearns jealously. Jesus, the Son of God, longs for restored relationships. The Creator of mankind, James’ Creator, my Creator, your Creator yearns for our spirit to be indwelt by His Spirit. Can you imagine how this must have broken James’ heart when he realized that despite his behaviors toward Jesus because of his own human jealousy and unbelief, nevertheless, Father God had never stopped yearning jealously for James. Grace is often defined as undeserved favor. Indeed James recognized that the pathway of return for him was paved in undeserved grace and more grace. Any excuse that he had used to disqualify himself as being utterly unworthy of pardon or permission to belong to Him was countered by grace and more grace. 

Let’s travel down this pathway of return, thinking about our own life, while bearing in mind James’ own experience in writing these words.

God opposes the proud but he gives grace to the humble.

The pathway of return is one of grace. It requires great humility to receive great grace. Everything in us cries out to earn our way back into God’s good “graces”. But in so doing, we will always be able to attribute our standing with God as being based on what we have done to earn it. That is pride and God opposes the proud. Humility is the gateway to enter the pathway of grace. Humility agrees that God has done it all for me. I have merely to receive what he offers. No matter what we have done, as James remembered all too well, he gives more grace.

Submit yourselves therefore to God.

The response to grace is to humbly submit and say yes to God; your will not my will, your way not my way. Submission has the connotation to us of being defeated or of being enslaved. It could not be more opposite. Submission to the God who yearns for us, who gives more grace to us is actually freedom. Submission for James must have occurred in his encounter with the resurrected Jesus. I Cor 15:7 tells us simply, “then he appeared to James…”. One can only imagine what that encounter must have evoked in James; every doubt was canceled and the only fitting response was to surrender in submission to his Lord. Years later when writing this letter, he uses the following introduction, “James, a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ…”. Submission means that the proper order of right relationship to Jesus is Jesus as Lord and us as his willingly yielded servants. 

Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

The devil will do all in his power (and he is very powerful), to separate us from union with Jesus. Everyone who chooses to turn back toward the Lord will face an opposing force, a strong current. This may come in the form of believing that we are unworthy, unwanted. God would not possibly want us back since we walked away, we rejected him, we mocked his existence. James is testifying that these messages are not true; God actually yearns over us. Doubts, confusion, remembrances of past hurts, disappointments, fears, may all come rushing in as you turn back toward the God of grace and more grace. Resist the devil. How? In the strength of the One who has all authority, in the name of Jesus who asks us to come, and in His word of truth. Resist and keep resisting – it is not a one time encounter. Jesus is the victor. Keep resisting the devil and he will flee. 

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you.

Resisting the devil and drawing near to God go hand in hand. It is impossible to resist the devil such that he will flee unless we draw near to God. The curious thing is that as the devil tears at us to drive a wedge between us and God, it can have the opposite effect  of drawing us closer to Him for protection and help. Every accusation can propel us into His arms of forgiveness, every temptation can send us seeking His strength, every condemnation can draw us closer to hear who he says we are. Resisting and drawing near are to be expected over and over again as we walk the pathway of grace back toward his heart.

Cleanse your hands you sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded men.

The relief of calling sin what God calls sin is immeasurable. As I already mentioned, humility is the gateway for God’s grace. God is not interested in humiliating us, making us grovel or squirm. He is not trying to shame us, but He is the God of truth who yearns for a relationship that is based on truth. Hiding, pretending, wearing masks don’t work with the One who knows the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. So why do we need to “cleanse our hands of known sin” ? Because it is truth that sets us free. We are free from hiding what we hope that God doesn’t see or know and we are free to receive from that same One forgiveness. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 

What about purifying double-mindedness? I liken this to having a foot on two separate icebergs that are slowly drifting apart. Eventually it becomes not only uncomfortable, but impossible to keep one foot on each. We have to choose. Jesus expressed this reality in his Sermon on the Mount . “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Matt.6:24 And James himself acknowledges this same truth in the beginning of his letter by stating that a double-minded person is unstable in all his ways. Jas.1:8 Choosing whom we will serve is not about perfection, but it is absolutely about our direction and devotion.  “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Josh. 24:15

Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

James is doubling down on the seriousness that he applies to the pathway of return. He himself has experienced this portion of his own pathway, no doubt when faced by the risen Jesus. What must that moment have been like for this brother who had lived in opposition to his elder brother throughout his life? What wretchedness, mourning and weeping must have poured out of James as he re-lived his words, actions, ridicules and insults, in front of His risen Lord. It is one thing to have grown up in a Christ following household and have walked away and it is another to have grown up with Christ in the household. James was shattered. But “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” Perhaps James is telling us not to be afraid to experience the depths of sadness and grief over our sin. It is there that His comfort comes. Psalm 130 was especially meaningful to me in a season of deep mourning and weeping.

Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord, hear my voice…

If You Lord should mark my iniquities, who could stand;

But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be revered.

Humble yourselves before the Lord and he will lift you up.

How many times do we see that humility is the key that opens the gate to the pathway of return. Humility is the posture that propels us forward. And it is humility that is met with God’s open arms. When I see that phrase, he will lift you up, I picture one of my grandchildren running toward me in anticipation that they will be scooped up into my inviting arms, hugged tightly and lavished with kisses. The God who has yearned jealously for you to turn, submit, resist, confess, weep is more unrestrained than the father in the parable of the prodigal son who ran unceremoniously toward his returning repentant son. He will lift you up and welcome you home.

What perceptions do you have of God as you turn toward Him?

How does the phrase, He yearns jealously, strike you?

Think about the definition of grace – God giving us what we do not deserve or earn.

He gives more grace – where do you find yourself in need of more grace?

Do you believe that God is willing to give you grace and more grace?

 Why is humility the key to receiving God’s grace?

What does it mean for you to humble yourself before the Lord?

What is the difference between humility and submission?

What opposition are you facing in turning back toward Jesus?

How can you counter the opposition you feel or face by drawing near to God?

Have weeping and mourning been a part of your journey?

How can these emotions propel you into the arms of more grace?

In what ways can you relate to James’ journey of return?

Are you willing to take the first step down this pathway of return?