“AND EVEN WHEN YOU DO ASK, YOU DON’T GET IT BECAUSE YOUR WHOLE MOTIVE IS WRONG - - YOU WANT ONLY WHAT WILL GIVE YOU PLEASURE.” JAMES 4:3

We’re all familiar with the preceding verse; we quote it all the time. The truth is we misquote the last few words of it, we say, Jesus said “YOU HAVE NOT BECAUSE YOU ASK NOT”! The implication being that if we want something all we need to do is ask, but this is NOT what Jesus was saying. In fact the point He was making was not about how to get what we want from God; His message was that our hearts are wrong in their lusting for what we do not have.

Within context what Jesus said was, “YOU WANT WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE, SO YOU SCEME AND KILL TO GET IT. YOU ARE JEALOUS FOR WHAT OTHERS HAVE; YOU CAN’T POSESS IT, SO YOU FIGHT AND QUARREL TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM THEM. AND YET THE REASON YOU DON’T HAVE WHAT YOU WANT IS THAT YOU DON’T ASK GOD FOR IT. AND EVEN WHEN YOU DO ASK, YOU DON’T GET IT BECAUSE YOUR WHOLE MOTIVE IS WRONG - - YOU WANT ONLY WHAT WILL GIVE YOU PLEASURE.”

It’s amazing to me that we can use the very conversation of Christ concerning our greed and lust to kindle fires of more greed and lust. I have long heard people pray, “God, give them the desires of their hearts!” The better prayer is, “God help us to desire what you desire for us.”

Too often our hearts are out of alignment with God’s. We ought to be praying align our hearts for then we will have no trouble asking for and receiving what God has for us.

In Gethsemane, Jesus had a choice; His will or the Father’s. The work of our salvation was actually decided in the Garden when Jesus prayed, “NEVERTHELESS, NOT MY WILL BUT THINE BE DONE”. Certainly, we can ask God for whatever our heart’s desire, but we often don’t for when we do; we ask outside of His will for us or we know better than to even ask. Remember as a kid wanting something, but knowing better than to ask your parents?
Are you needy or greedy? He wants to supply your needs, but a good Father never wants to feed his children’s greed. The good Father that He is, He takes pleasure in blessing us, but in His wisdom, He understands the difference between what we want, what we think we want and what is best for us. My 15, soon to be 16 year old may want a high powered, high performance car, but there is not a 16 year old who would not be in danger of destroying himself with such a vehicle. God knows us better than we know ourselves and so He warns us, “Check your motives when you pray; is it for you or for the glory of God that you ask?” Lust is sin, regardless of what it is that we are lusting after.
Hear the words of Jesus in context with what He is saying, “YOU WANT WHAT YOU DON’T HAVE, SO YOU SCEME AND KILL TO GET IT. YOU ARE JEALOUS FOR WHAT OTHERS HAVE; YOU CAN’T POSESS IT, SO YOU FIGHT AND QUARREL TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM THEM. AND YET THE REASON YOU DON’T HAVE WHAT YOU WANT IS THAT YOU DON’T ASK GOD FOR IT. AND EVEN WHEN YOU DO ASK, YOU DON’T GET IT BECAUSE YOUR WHOLE MOTIVE IS WRONG - - YOU WANT ONLY WHAT WILL GIVE YOU PLEASURE.” AMEN!