The Central Idea of the Text is that James addresses worldliness among Christians in regard to their personal pleasures, slanderous speech, wrongly judging others and excluding God from their life.

Pleasure comes from fulfilled desire and frustration from unfulfilled desires. God will sometimes grant us our desires (Ps. 37:4), unless they are sinful desires in which we pursue self-interests over God’s interests (Jam. 4:2-3). The humble Christian will surrender his personal desires to God, and if they are not sinful or harmful, He may grant those wishes. Many internal and external conflicts are avoided and/or resolved when we learn to be content with what we have (1 Tim. 6:8; cf. Phil. 4:11-13), and when we care more for others than self (Phil. 2:3-4).

Worldliness means we are at the center of our world, preoccupied with ourselves, and that we desire the things of the world more than we desire God and His will. Worldliness starts by excluding God from our thoughts and actions (see Ps. 10:4), which in turn leads to irrationality as we falsely assume life is certain and that we have time and opportunity to pursue our self-interests (Luke 12:16-21). God’s Word disrupts our worldly thinking and redirects our behavior to include Him in everything. Godliness starts when we include God in everything and consider whether our decision will impact our relationship with Him. God opposes the worldly believer who sets his own will above all else, but gives grace (i.e. divine enablement) to those who seek His will first. Humility is a true perspective on self and life that originates with God and finds full expression in obedience to His will (see Phil. 2:5-8). We draw near to God through learning and living His Word, confession, prayer and worship.

We should never speak evil against a brother or sister in Christ, knowing God administers His law as King and Judge (see Gen. 18:25). “Someone has suggested that there are three questions we should answer before indulging in criticism of others—What good does it do your brother? What good does it do yourself? What glory for God is in it?”

From the divine perspective, our human existence is brief, uncertain and fragile, and only those who submit to God receive grace that leads to stability. It is valid for us to have personal desires and even to ask God to fulfill them; however, those same personal desires become harmful when we exalt them above God and His will for us. May we all learn to desire God more than our desires.