James gives us three ways of thinking about the same thing! Do you want to be under the blessing, protection and direction of the living God? Or do you want to be under the "wisdom" that is earthly, natural and demonic which he talked about in the previous chapter? Seems like an obvious answer, right? Yet so often we want to pretend that we want God while willfully going our own way. Some would even boast about their "nearness to God" in the midst of their rebellion.
Submit means to order your life under. To actually "do" what God wants us to do. Not to talk about what God wants, but to actually "do what He says". James teaches that faith is evidenced in obedience to God.
Resist means to intentionally move away from something that is seeking to draw you in! The source of our non-submission is Satan himself. He uses this world's ideas and our sinful flesh to draw us into rebellion. It is our natural bent, so we must "resist" what comes natural to us.
Nearness is a term that communicates proximity. If you are under something it is safe to say you have drawn near! Anytime we are obeying God by choosing to have faith in what He says, we are placing our lives under His care.
Draw near to God today. The other options will end poorly.
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