Apparently the relationship between believers was not reflecting “love thy neighbor as thyself,” and James attacked it head on. These people were not displaying fruits of righteousness (addressed last Friday), but instead were engaging in verbal attacks. “Wars and fights” paints a pretty ugly picture, doesn’t it? “Wars” referred to continuing hostility while “fights” pointed to specific outbursts within the continual conflict. Hostility within the body evidenced a deeper problem: conflict with God. We don’t like to apply words like wars and fights to a body of believers, but unfortunately it happens. When people seek their own passions (their own way), the result is strife, hatred, and division. Our sin nature can really wreak havoc! James wanted his readers to look into their own hearts and lives and see what was happening due to their envy and selfish ambition. They would never be satisfied and at peace because they were seeking the wrong things. We’ll explore that a little more tomorrow.