Chapter 4

1What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from the desires battling inside you?

2You want something and don't get it. You kill and covet, but you can't get what you want. You quarrel and fight. You don't have because you don't ask God. Ask. Ask big. Never ask small.

3When you ask, you don't get it, because you ask for the wrong reasons, so you can spend it on your pleasures. Ask for the right reasons. Then spend it on your pleasures. Very different thing.

4You cheaters. Don't you know that being friends with the world means being enemies with God? Anybody who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes God's enemy. Pick a side. You can't be on both sides.

5Or do you think the scripture says for no reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he made to live in us? Very jealous. He wants all your loyalty. All of it.

6But he gives us more grace. That's why it says, “God opposes the arrogant but shows favor to the humble.” The other side's arrogant. We're confident. Big difference.

7So submit to God. Resist the devil, and he'll run from you. He'll run. Like a coward. Every time.

8Come close to God and he'll come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and clean up your hearts, you double-minded people. Hand sanitizer. Lots of it. And pick a side.

9Grieve, mourn, and cry. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. For a little while. Then right back to winning.

10Humble yourselves in front of the boss, and he'll lift you up. Lift you way up. To the top floor.

11Brothers, don't trash each other. Anybody who trashes a brother or judges him trashes the law and judges it. Don't trash your own team. Trash the other team.

12There's only one lawgiver and judge, the one who can save and destroy. So who are you to judge your neighbor?

13Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we'll go to this or that city, spend a year there, do business, and make money.” That's a great plan. Very good plan. I like that plan.

14Some people say you don't even know what'll happen tomorrow. Your life is a mist that shows up for a little while and then disappears. That's why you make the plan. Because you don't know. You make the plan. You hedge. You diversify.

15So you should say, “If the boss wants, we'll live and do this or that.” And then you do it. And you make the money. Very simple.

16As it is, you brag about your plans. Brag about the results instead. Results are better to brag about.

17So anybody who knows the right thing to do and doesn't do it is sinning. Know it. Do it. Results.