In this daily Bible reading James counsels the people about their worldly habits and lifestyles which they hadn’t yet replaced. They were misapplying some scripture passages such as, “Ask and you will receive…” Evidently, they weren’t getting the things for which they asked in their prayers. James said, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Our motives are important to God. The Bible says that God will judge our deeds. However, the Bible also says that God will judge our motives.
The Bible further says that God will grant us the desires of our hearts. This applies to those who believe in Jesus Christ. When we believe in Jesus we are then guided and motivated to align our lives with His. If our hearts are aligned with Jesus, then the desires of our hearts will also be aligned with Jesus. Our desires will be for those things that God wants us to have. And we will ask for the right things.
The Bible says, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and the rest will be given you as well.” Belief in Jesus will result in many wonderful blessings in this life, some physical but mostly spiritual. Our lives will be full, rich, and satisfying. We will not fear as do nonbelievers, because we know that God will guide us and protect us. Believing in Jesus is truly a wonderful way to live our lives on this Earth. More importantly, it will lead us to Heaven where we will be with Jesus forever.
