NOTES for Jam 4:10

The apostle James uses the metaphor of rusted gold and silver to point not to the material side of life, but to the goals and meaning of every kind of accumulation. Accumulated experience, fame and recognition as a specialist, a great public figure, success in business, academic degrees - these are the very gold and silver that rust and will be a testimony against us. And the goals we set for ourselves are our treasure. They mean very little for the future. None of the successes of this world is required in order to love our neighbors, friends, neighbors, and acquaintances. And for a believer, a churchgoing person who reads the Gospel, awareness of the smallness and inconspicuousness of our successes before the world and before God must become fundamental. When the Apostle says, "Lament and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into gloom," he calls us to pay attention to the fact that we strive for joy and merriment, that we drive difficult and heavy thoughts away from ourselves. But there is no joy in the world. We carry joy in our hearts. And this joy is from God. He alone can grant it to us. Yet we look in this world for a substitute for relationship with Him. And we understand that we must do good, we feel the need for it, but the mercy we have shown and the help we have given do not bring us joy if through them we do not glorify God and thank Him for the opportunity to help and to be near someone in need.

How often we are afraid... How often we say, “Oh, I am so weak; there is nothing I can do...” And we surrender without a fight, giving the devil an opportunity to act through our inaction. Yet the Apostle James tells us that we can free ourselves and, moreover, that it is not so difficult! Simply resist the devil, and he will flee from you! But it is we who flee... Why? Why does it seem to us that nothing can be done? Perhaps it is easier for us that way? But if we sincerely desire to draw near to God so that He will draw near to us, there will be no choice: unless we resist the devil, we will not be able to draw near to Him.