Friendship with the World
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Where do wars and afights among you come from? Do they not come from your passions that wage war among your members? 2 You desire but do not have. You murder and are jealous but cannot obtain what you want. You fight and war. bYou do not have, because you do not ask. 3 You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly, so that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 cAdulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks in vain? The spirit that ddwells in us desires to the point of envy, 6 but God gives greater grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God, but resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn, and weep. Turn your laughter into mourning, and your joy into gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.Speaking Evil Against One Another
11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. eHe who speaks evil against a brother fand judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. Now if yoʋ judge the law, yoʋ are not a doer of the law but a judge. 12 There is only one glawgiver, he who is able to save and destroy. hBut who are yoʋ to judge ianother?
Boasting About Tomorrow
13 Come now, you who say, “Today jand tomorrow klet us go to such and such a city, spend a year there, trade, and make a profit.” 14 You do not know lwhat will happen tomorrow. What is myour life? nIt is a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, olet us live and do this or that.” 16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin.