James 4:9

 James 4:9 says, Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.  Instead of calling on Christians to be full of happiness and the joy of the world, James said they were to be afflicted and mourn and weep, I believe over the condition of the lost people of the world.  We should never just go about life as if everything is okay as followers of Christ, but we should be mourning the fate of the lost people and reaching out to them with God's love. 

Verse ten adds, Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.  James said if we humble ourselves before God that He will lift us up, spiritually I believe.  I don't think this means if we are humble before God that He is going to lift us up materially, though some Christians seem to believe that. 

Verse eleven continues, Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.  James then stated that Chrisitans should never speak evil about other Chrisitans.  We see a lot of bickering and outright quarreling in the church today because one person or even group of people don't agree about God's law, but we are forgiven by God's grace and not by the law of God.  If we put ourselves under the law once more to judge others, then we are not doers of the law, but are judges of others. 

Verse twelve concludes, There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?  James said that there is but one lawgiver, and that is God, and then asks since that is true, why do we try to judge others about their relationship with God.  This is still the question we need to ask ourselves today.