Are People Bugging You?
Wrong Motives – Part 2
Scripture Reading: James 4:1-6
Key Verse: James 4:3
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
As we deal with the people that bug us, we often find ourselves praying that God would change them. That is not a bad prayer; however it may be that God wants to change us. We must be willing to allow God to do His work even when it means painful changes in us.
Our motives for prayer are not always easy for us to discern. When we pray for someone that bugs us, do we truly care about that person’s best interest? The first thing God is interested in is helping us have a heart of love. God knows if our prayers are coming from a true concern for the person we are praying for or from a place that is more concerned about our own comfort.
In the middle of this discussion of where fights and quarrels come from, the Apostle James cautions us on our prayer life. Our human nature will tend to pray that God deals with the people that bug us; that God will move them out of our lives or make them see the error of their ways! However, as a perfect heavenly Father, God is seeing our hearts and wants us to grow into patient, loving people. When we are dealing with people that bug us, we have an opportunity to stretch our patience and grow our love. Let’s be careful about the motives behind our prayers.
Father, help me to look beyond people’s faults today, and love them with your love. In Jesus’ name, amen.