Being a God-made person
Reflections on James 4:1-9
“But he gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” James 4:6-8a
One of the worst comments I have heard from a person over the years is, “I am a self-made man.” I have also heard, “I am a self-made woman.” It is usually said with a sense of pride and self-gratification. When it is said some people will respond with applause, others with a tone of jealousy. Why do I feel this is a bad or negative comment when it is heard? Because it implies that all their success was done by their own knowledge, skills, and cunningness; no one else helped them; they are a self-made person.
There never was a person that self-made themselves. If you own and operate a business from the ground up, you may have developed a business plan. Posted a mission statement on the walls of that business. You hired many people who work for you and carry out that mission you developed. If a person does not carry the same spirit of the mission, they don’t work for you very long. As a team, everyone works to build the business, the owner didn’t do it by him or herself.
It is the same with a coach of a sports team. Picking the right combination of talented players for the team will work together for a common cause. The coach may have a vision that is different than the individual players do and after a few winning years will be honored by their sports association, Maybe inducted into a Hall of Fame, but the coach didn’t make themselves a winning coach; the efforts of teamwork did.
There is no self-made person when it comes to their spiritual life. Everyone starts out by tripping through life as if we couldn’t see correctly. We try this solution with some results but quickly fall back into our old way of life. Until we seek a person who seems to have life going in the right direction, but still experiences problems in life. We ask, what do they have that isn’t working for us? And the response, “I am a Godmade person, who brings to my attention the decisions I need to make and how to treat people in the way God desires.” When the fact is brought up that they struggle in life, how can God be in charge? The answer is, “That all goes with being in a relationship with God. You will have good days and bad, but all is in God’s hand.”
Scripture says, come close to God and God will come close to you. As you do, you will be given grace from God to resist the evil one and grow strong in your faith. But you need to make the first move to be close to God, because if he made the first move a person would feel they deserve that closeness with God. For in asking in a humble manner, God will make you into the person he wants you to be. So over your lifetime, you are being made into a God-made person.
Dear Lord, before I asked for your presence in my life I felt that all opportunities were done by me. Now I realize the relationship I have with you bring a difference in life, I never thought possible. Continue to lead my every decision, to see your actions in my life. Amen.