James 4:13-17
“Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 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. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”
James 4:13-17 NIV
In this worldview, God is an accessory to our plans, and His main job is to grant our requests and make our dreams come true. If our plans somehow get off track, either from unforeseen circumstances or sinful choices of our own, we beg Him to fix it and promise to do better next time.
Well thought out planning outside of God’s will is not a recent phenomenon. In our verses today, James chastised his congregation for the foolishness of making self-centered plans over which they had no control. He told them to seek to know God’s will and obey it.
Christians spin their wheels trying to guess the future, and even demanding their will and might in making their plans, hoping for the best. The problem is what is left out and what is often missed and that is the question, does this align with His will?
The call to us in this passage is that our will and plans must focus on God and His ways period. Our plans and ways are not sovereign only He is. As Christians, we must not plan our lives with God as an after-thought, or as if He is not concerned or involved. Rather, all our plans must be prefaced by prayer, seeking Him and His ways.
This is all about God's will and the principle aspect of God's will is not so much what we plan and develop in our lives, but whether or not we are aligning ourselves with His plan. It is far more important that our focus be that our character and fruit come from Him, not so much in the specific actions in life such as school, career, or who to date and marry.
Rather, the important thing is "who" and "how" we are in those areas. Our character and fruit must come first. Our relationship with, and focus on Him helps determine our actions in life. When we operate within His love and precepts, then His will becomes clear. His will has more to do with our temperament, attitude, and fruit than it does with the specific decisions we make.
So, our focus must be on seeking Christ as Lord in all areas of life, though prayer and His Word. Then, our path will line up correctly, and we will lead a life that is transformed and triumphant.
Acknowledging the supremacy of God in our lives is essential, but it is also vitally important to have faith in His plans for us. God is sovereign and all-knowing, and He knows what is best for us. He knows which path we should take, how to use our gifts and talents, and when to take a risk.
As children of God, our motive and attitude should be to live for Christ every moment of the day to present our lives as a living sacrifice to Him, to trust His Word and walk in utter dependence on Him, moment by moment, and for His greater glory.
As His children, we should be very careful to live according to His will on a daily basis and be sure to include Him in our preparations and planning, rather than blithely making arrogant decisions and prideful pronouncements that exclude the Lord from the equation.
Knowing the brevity of our lives in this earthly sphere, may we be keen to go about our daily duties keeping God in the centre and Jesus as our focal point.
Living the Christian life as God intended and instructed, should be the main aim of the Christian, and failure to do so is identified by James as a sin which should be confessed to the Lord and addressed in our life if we are to remain in holy fellowship with the Father and grow in grace, to His honour and glory!!!
Father thank You for this day and the power we have in the Mighty Name of Jesus. Lord let Your abundant blessings be my friend and family’s portion today. Lord we do not want to live our lives apart from You. Lord we surrender our lives into Your hands, knowing that You care for us today. Lord thank You that nothing can stop Your perfect will from being done as You unfold Your plan of redemption from eternity past unto its perfect completion. Lord we pray that Your will be done in our lives each day, until we see You face to face. Lord use us today to do Your amazing Will. Be a blessing.
Father, we love You. Amen !
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