Duplicity and unfaithfulness are personal attributes that we don't warm to. And rightly so. Who wants to be associated with someone who's two-faced, who hides their intentions, who in the end will betray you?
John F. Kennedy is remembered as one of America's great presidents. He married Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953. Yet despite publicly expressing great admiration and affection for her, often speaking warmly about her intelligence, her style, her importance in his life, he notoriously had affairs with Marilyn Monroe and a good many other women.
Isn't it funny how history is prepared to overlook his duplicity and unfaithfulness? Plainly, you can't genuinely love your wife if you're off having affairs on the side. It's in that spirit that this verse is written:
James 4:4 You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. (NIV)
"The world" here refers to the things of this world – wealth, fame, pleasure, self, embracing our sinful desires. Plainly you can't genuinely love God if you're off living out those things on the side. But sadly, so many are prepared to overlook their own duplicity and unfaithfulness.
As A.W. Tozer puts it, "A whole generation of Christians has come up believing that it's possible to 'accept' Christ without forsaking the world."
You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.
That's His Word. Fresh … for you … today.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.