Mature Faith Does Not Pursue Selfish Pleasures

The first sermon in American history was preached at Plymouth, Mass., on December 9, 1621 by Robert Cushman, a deacon and Puritan leader. His text was 1 Corinthians 10:24, “No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.” In his sermon he warned against “swelling pride, self-love and conceitedness,” and he condemned certain jealousies and quarrels among the settlers.

Mature faith does not quarrel or pursue selfish pleasures. There’s a flow or logic in James’ letter, though it isn’t organized like Paul’s epistles. James draws in part on the genre of wisdom literature, with its tendency to use aphorisms and sudden changes in topic. That seems to be the case here. The mentions of “peace-loving” and “peacemakers” at the end of chapter 3 apparently prompted James to return to the topic of fights and quarrels (1:19–20). Where do these originate? Sinful or self-centered desires (v. 1).

These desires are defined by lack or absence (v. 2). “You desire but do not have. . . . You covet but you cannot get what you want.” The verb “kill” can be understood in both a literal and a figurative way, so that James is identifying both murder and hatred as the end result of selfish desires.

These desires could be filled by God if we would ask, but they would not be filled in the ways we think (v. 3). If we don’t ask at all, we’re failing to trust our generous Father (1:5, 17). But God does not grant our petitions when we ask with selfish motives or for self-centered pleasures. Our needs and desires might be real, but we often try to fill them with the wrong things in the wrong ways. We need God’s wisdom to pray for the right things in the right ways.

Pray with Us

Dr. Larry Davidhizar has worked faithfully at Moody for over 30 years. He serves as the VP and associate dean of faculty but also often takes time to minister and to care for students individually. Will you pray for him and thank God for his service?

BY Brad Baurain

Dr. Bradley Baurain is Professor and Program Head of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Moody Bible Institute. Bradley has the unique privilege of holding a degree from four different universities (including Moody). He is the author of On Waiting Well. Bradley taught in China, Vietnam, the United States, and Canada. Bradley and his wife, Julia, have four children and reside in Northwest Indiana.