Draw Near – 365 Guides to Greater Intimacy with GodSample

TWO STEPS BEHIND

"The chief tragedy of the human race," Sydney J. Harris says, "is that the war approaching always seems necessary and inevitable. It is only 20 years later that it is seen as avoidable and futile. Is the mind perpetually condemned to live two steps behind the passions?" Tragically it seems so, even in our modern society. Lewis Mumford, historian and philosopher, says, "The dark age is not coming--we are in the midst of the dark age."

Nowhere else in literature is there such a clear statement of the cause of all wars as in the book of James. James pinpoints the source of all conflicts, whether they be personal, ecclesiastical, or national: the lusts in our hearts. War will be with us until our hearts change.

While historians might think James's statement too simplistic, perhaps we should consider all battles in the light of the apostle's statement. On the personal level, we find that conflicts arise from selfishness or insistence on our own way. According to James, friendship with such a worldly spirit is enmity with God. If we are friends with this type of spirit, we are enemies of God. May our desires be tempered today by His will. Then our lives will not spill over into feuds and fights but will bring healing to men.