… you are selfish and you love the world more than you love God.

“That’s not how that verse goes!”

Let’s read it again.

Because we all dislike it when people take scripture out of context, right? No one would condone stripping a verse from it’s place in the Bible in order to use it to support his own purposes, right?

James 4:2
You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.

Ah ha! See? If we want something, we shouldn’t murder or fight over it, just ask! Our heavenly Father loves us. He wants to give us the desire of our hearts. He gives good gifts to His children.

But James 4:3 is still true as well: 

You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

So maybe we don’t have what we want because we’re not asking. But maybe we don’t have what we want – even though we do ask – because we only want what we want for our own pleasure. It seems, “that you may spend it on your pleasures” is not necessarily a valid reason for asking for something.

The ensuing verses go on to call the audience, “adulteresses,” contrast love of the world with love of God, and accuse readers of being, “double-minded.” Verses nine and ten close the conversation with,

Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.

Doesn’t really sound like, “Whatever you want – just ask!” Maybe my American dream is not God’s priority.

I submit for the reader’s consideration that we need to be very careful about praying or preaching verse 4(b), without continuing through verse 5 – either as a reminder to ourselves, or a warning to our audience.