Fruits of Lust

Scripture:

What is the source of the wars and the fights among you? Don’t they come from the cravings that are at war within you?

You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. You do not have because you do not ask.

You ask and don’t receive because you ask wrongly, so that you may spend it on your desires for pleasure.
James 4:1-3


Observation:

These verses seem to be saying that the primary source of human kind’s difficulties is lust. I have a friend who defines lust as “I want what I want when I want.” I would add to that, “regardless of the consequences.” James talks about three consequences of lust. Lust causes:

1. Wars and fights among people
2. War within people (cravings)
3. Ineffective prayer

Put simply, lust is the opposite of love.

These verses bring us back to a couple of themes we’ve seen often here at Better Things.

1. Motive matters (petitions to God to conform to our (warped) way of thinking will always result in a “no” response from Him)
2. We are commanded to love one another

Yet another thing to think about in pondering these verses? The purpose of prayer. The verses talk about one thing that is NOT a purpose of prayer: getting what we want from God. It can be inferred, then, that aligning our will with God’s will IS one of the purposes of prayer. (The purpose of prayer could make a fascinating study at some point....) :)



Application:

I need to make sure my motives are pure before asking the Lord for anything (it’s so easy for our true motives to be hidden even from ourselves).

I need to focus on fulfilling any “cravings” I have in the sweet, thirst-quenching presence of Jesus (see John 4:14).

I need to continue to learn how to love others the way Jesus loves them!



Prayer:

Father, give me an accurate understanding of prayer. Conform my will and desires to Yours. Forgive me for the times I’ve filled my craving for more of You with anything but You. Help me to love others the way You love them. And please let me walk more intimately with You each day!