Jinyenyekezeni Kwa Mungu

Ni kitu gani kinachosababisha vita na ugomvi miongoni mwenu? Je, si tamaa zenu zinazopingana ndani yenu? Mnatamani lakini hampati kwa hiyo mnaua . Na mnatamani kupata lakini ham pati vile mnavyotaka kwa hiyo mnapigana na kuanzisha vita. Mme pungukiwa kwa sababu hamumwombi Mungu. Mnaomba lakini hampokei kwa sababu mnaomba kwa nia mbaya, ili mtumie mtakavyopata kwa kutosheleza tamaa zenu.

Ninyi viumbe wasio waaminifu! Hamfahamu kwamba urafiki na dunia ni uadui na Mungu? Kwa hiyo anayependa kuwa rafiki wa dunia anajitangaza kuwa adui wa Mungu. Au mnadhani Maandiko mataka tifu yanasema bure kuwa, “Anaona wivu juu ya roho aliyemweka aishi ndani yetu”? Lakini yeye anatupatia neema zaidi, ndio maana Maandiko husema, “Mungu huwapinga wenye kiburi lakini huwapa neema wanyenyekevu.”

Kwa hiyo, jinyenyekezeni kwa Mungu . Mpingeni shetani, naye atawakimbia. Mkaribieni Mungu, naye atawakaribia. Takaseni mikono yenu, ninyi wenye dhambi; na takaseni mioyo yenu, ninyi wenye nia mbili. Huzunikeni, ombolezeni na kulia. Kicheko chenu kiwe kilio na furaha yenu iwe huzuni. 10 Jinyenyekezeni mbele za

Kuhusu Kuhukumiana

11 Ndugu, msilaumiane ninyi kwa ninyi. Mtu anayesema maovu kumhusu ndugu yake au kumhukumu ndugu yake anailaumu sheria na kuihukumu. Unapoihukumu sheria, basi hutii sheria bali umekuwa hakimu wa sheria. 12 Ni Mungu peke yake ambaye ametoa sheria na pia yeye ndiye hakimu; ni yeye tu awezaye kuokoa na kuangamiza.

Usijivunie ya Kesho

13 Sasa nisikilizeni ninyi msemao, “Leo au kesho tutakwenda katika mji huu ama ule tukae mwaka mmoja huko, tufanye biashara na kuchuma fedha.” 14 Kumbe hamjui litakalotokea kesho! Kwani maisha yenu ni kitu gani? Ninyi ni kama ukungu ambao huonekana kwa muda mfupi tu na baadaye hutoweka. 15 Badala yake mnapaswa kusema, “Bwana akipenda, tutaishi na kufanya hili ama lile.” 16 Lakini sasa mnajisifu kwa sababu ya ujinga wenu. Kujisifu kwa jinsi hiyo ni uovu.

17 Mtu ye yote anayefahamu lililo jema kutenda, lakini asilitende, basi mtu huyo anatenda dhambi.

Jitoe Mwenyewe kwa Mungu

Mapigano na magombano yanatokea wapi miongoni mwenu? Je, hayatoki kutoka ndani yenu wenyewe, kutoka katika tamaa zenu za starehe ambazo zinafanya vita siku zote ndani ya miili yenu? Mnataka mambo lakini hamyapati, hivyo mnaua na mnakuwa na wivu juu ya watu wengine. Lakini bado hamwezi kuyafikia mnayoyataka, hivyo mnagombana na kupigana. Nanyi ndugu zangu hampokei mambo mnayoyataka kwa sababu hamumwombi Mungu. Na mnapoomba, lakini hampokei cho chote kwa sababu mnaomba kwa dhamiri mbaya, ili muweze kuvitumia mlivyopatiwa kwa anasa zenu.

Watu msio waaminifu, hamjui kwamba kuupenda ulimwengu ni sawa na kumchukia Mungu? Yeyote anayetaka kuwa rafiki wa dunia hujifanya mwenyewe kuwa adui wa Mungu. Je, kile Maandiko yanachokisema hakina maana yoyote kwenu? Ile roho ambayo Mungu aliifanya ikae ndani yetu wanadamu imejaa tamaa yenye wivu? Lakini Mungu ametuonesha sisi, rehema kuu zaidi. Ndiyo maana Maandiko yanasema:

Mungu huwapinga wenye kiburi,
    lakini huwapa neema wale walio wanyenyekevu.(A)

Kwa hiyo jiwekeni chini ya Mungu. Mpingeni Shetani naye atawakimbia ninyi. Mkaribieni Mungu, naye atawakaribia ninyi. Iosheni mikono yenu ninyi wenye dhambi na kuitakasa mioyo yenu enyi wanafiki! Ombolezeni na kulia! Kicheko chenu na kigeuzwe kuwa maombolezo, na furaha yenu igeuzwe kuwa huzuni kubwa. 10 Jinyenyekezeni chini ya Bwana, naye atawainua juu.

Wewe Siyo Hakimu

11 Ndugu, msiendelee kukosoana ninyi kwa ninyi. Yeye anayemnenea mabaya ndugu yake au anayemhukumu ndugu yake atakuwa anailaumu Sheria na atakuwa anaihukumu Sheria. Na kama utaihukumu Sheria, hautakuwa unafanya yale yanayosemwa na Sheria, bali utakuwa ni hakimu. 12 Kuna Mtoa Sheria mmoja tu na hakimu, ndiye Mungu aliye na uwezo wa kuokoa na kuangamiza. Hivyo wewe unafikiri ni nani, wewe unayemhukumu jirani yako?

Mwache Mungu Apange Maisha Yako

13 Sikilizeni mnaosema, “Leo au kesho tutasafiri kwenda kwenye mji huu au ule, na tutakaa mwaka mzima pale, tutafanya biashara hapo na kujipatia fedha nyingi.” 14 Hamjui hata yatakayotokea katika maisha yenu kesho yake tu. Kwani ninyi ni mvuke tu ambao huonekana kwa kipindi kifupi tu kisha hutoweka. 15 Badala yake, nyakati zote mngesema, “Kama Bwana anapenda, tutaishi na tutafanya hivi au vile.” 16 Kama ilivyo, ninyi mna kiburi na kujivuna. Majivuno yote ya jinsi hiyo ni uovu! 17 Hivyo sasa, mnaposhindwa kufanya mliyoyajua ni haki, mtakuwa na hatia ya dhambi.

Submit Yourselves to God

What causes fights and quarrels(A) among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle(B) within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill.(C) You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive,(D) because you ask with wrong motives,(E) that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

You adulterous(F) people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world(G) means enmity against God?(H) Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.(I) Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us[b]?(J) But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”[c](K)

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil,(L) and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.(M) Wash your hands,(N) you sinners, and purify your hearts,(O) you double-minded.(P) Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.(Q) 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.(R)

11 Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another.(S) Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister[d] or judges them(T) speaks against the law(U) and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it,(V) but sitting in judgment on it. 12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge,(W) the one who is able to save and destroy.(X) But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?(Y)

Boasting About Tomorrow

13 Now listen,(Z) you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.”(AA) 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.(AB) 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will,(AC) we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.(AD) 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.(AE)

Footnotes

  1. James 4:4 An allusion to covenant unfaithfulness; see Hosea 3:1.
  2. James 4:5 Or that the spirit he caused to dwell in us envies intensely; or that the Spirit he caused to dwell in us longs jealously
  3. James 4:6 Prov. 3:34
  4. James 4:11 The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a believer, whether man or woman, as part of God’s family.