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James 4: 5-7
Creators & Guests
Host
Chad McBeam
Business Leader, Foster Advocate and Fighter of Human Trafficking, Chad enjoys hosting this podcast channel as a way to spread and highlight the great examples of those who live out their faith daily. He can also be seen on occasion on your TV or Film Screen or be heard narrating one of your books as his love of acting has stuck with him since his childhood.
Writer
Aaron Marcarelli
After getting his under-graduate degree from Cal State University San Bernardino where he played college baseball and received all American honors. he was a graduate assistant baseball coach at both Trevecca Nazarene College in Nashville, Tennessee, and at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington. He received his master’s degree in Teaching from Whitworth, with plans to someday be a head baseball coach at a university. However, God had other plans. Aaron started teaching English and History and coaching baseball and other sports at the high school level and found out how much he loves high school kids, and he has been doing that for the past 27 years. Personally, heI has been married to his wife Sharon for 32 years, they have one daughter, Amanda Parrish, who has been married to Austin Parrish for 2 years. Aaron also has two grandsons Travis age 2 ½ and Aden who is 13 months and are blessed to have another on the way due in May. Aaron loves reading, golfing, and spending time with his wife and grandkids.
Designer
Linda Cowen
Linda Cowen of San Antonio Christian School is our gracious and talented art designer for the But God, weekday morning devotional series.
What is ...But God?
A weekday morning devotional series written by Aaron Marcarelli and hosted by Chad McBeam
Good morning and welcome to today's But God weekday morning devotional. We open the word to James 4 verses 5 through 7. Or do you think that the scripture says, for no purpose, he jealously desires the spirit whom he has made to dwell in us? But he gives a greater grace. Therefore, it says, God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
Chad McBeam:Submit therefore to God, but resist the devil, and he, God, will not flee from you. All too often, we rely on ourselves instead of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. The holy scriptures regarding God's jealousy that James is referring to are many. They include Exodus 20 verse 5 and Exodus 34 verse 14, Deuteronomy 32 verse 16, and Zechariah 8 verses 1 through 3. I really love the Zechariah 8 passage.
Chad McBeam:It reads, then the word of the Lord of armies came saying, the Lord of armies says this, I am exceedingly jealous for Zion. Yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her. The Lord says this, I will return to Zion and dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth and the mountain of the Lord of Armies will be called the Holy Mountain. James makes it abundantly clear that our Lord God will not share our allegiances with anybody or anything.
Chad McBeam:As James mentioned earlier, the difficulties of living holy for God in a horrific and fallen world are many. However, if we can rely on the Holy Spirit instead of our own sinful nature, we can please the Lord and be his witnesses for his holy kingdom which he has called us to be. Therefore, we must humble ourselves in the sight of the Lord. For it is in our humility that his amazing light will shine through us. And if we don't humble ourselves, the creator of the universe will be obliged to humble us, as he did with King Zedekiah, whom we can read about in 2nd Chronicles 36 verses 11 through 13.
Chad McBeam:That passage reads, Zedekiah was 21 years old when he became king, and he reigned for 11 years in Jerusalem. He did evil in the sight of the Lord his God. He did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke for the Lord. He also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear allegiance by God. But he stiffened his neck and hardened his heart against turning to the Lord, the God of Israel.
Chad McBeam:All too often, I find myself behaving like Zedekiah, falling into the ways of the world and its sinful nature. Or other times just focusing on the good things but not the godly things. I must be humble and seek the Lord God, my king and my savior, first and always. So let us do our best to not be like Zedekiah, but like our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, who humbled himself even to the cross to save the world from sin. Heavenly Father, thank you for these words from James today.
Chad McBeam:Thank you also for showing us what it means to have humility. Thank you for sending Jesus Christ to save us from sin. Help us to humble ourselves and be more like you, so that your perfect and pleasing name will be lifted up. And so others will know you by the power of your Holy Spirit. We pray all these things in Jesus' name.
Chad McBeam:Amen. Shalom. Shalom blessings. Press in and press on.