Grace, God’s Grace, soothing words to my soul.

James 4:6: But He gives greater grace. Therefore He says: 

God resists the proud, 

but gives grace to the humble.

Grace, God’s grace, that’s all of I can remember of the beginning of the song, but that is enough to soothe my soul. After the last several verses of James, where James is admonishing us to stay away from Evil things, It is refreshing to talk about Grace, God’s Grace.

Verse 6 begins with a But (which is connecting two different things that are not in agreement), like the verses before that are discussing being friends with the world, and then, He (God) gives a greater grace. John MacArthur says this: “The only ray of hope in man’s spiritual darkness is the sovereign grace of God, which alone can rescue man from his propensity to lust for evil things. That God gives “more grace” shows that His grace is greater than the power of sin, the flesh, the world, and Satan.” Amen!

What does it mean to be proud?

What does it mean to be proud of this reference? We tell our children and loved ones we are proud of you. We teach our children to have pride in their work. So this can be a bit confusing, why is God resisting the proud? The definition of proud that we want to focus on: having or displaying excessive self-esteem. If we are showing excessive self-esteem, we have no room for God in our lives, and that is where our downfall begins. God desires to have a relationship with us, one where the Holy Spirit guides us. Proud, in this sense, doesn’t need God, whereas the humble person acknowledges their need for a Saviour, which is why God gives greater grace to the humble.

Dear Lord, search my heart and show me any areas of pride that need to be destroyed. Help me to display humility in my life. In Jesus name, Amen.

 The Holy Bible: Holman Christian standard version. (2009). (Jas 4:6). Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.

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