We plan our plans.
We dream our dreams.
We choose our choices.
We live our lives.
Are we mindful of God’s sovereignty?
And if we are, how does that direct us in directing our lives?
I do need to plan.
I am going to dream.
I have to make choices.
I will live my life.
But how should I do it differently from a non-believer?
Does life really need to be done different?
Or does God trump all anyway?
“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.’ But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.”
I am just a vapor!
“My life is but breath.” Job 7:7
Scripture does not teach us to just go about our lives—trusting everything that happens (or doesn’t happen) to be God’s will for us. I also don’t believe James is instructing us to sit back and wait for God to push us through open doors. Scripture does state, “The kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing...and forceful men lay hold of it.” (Matthew 11:12) The word “force” used here is not about physical violence but power, effort, initiative and action!
James is reminding us of who we are and who He is!
He is the Breather—we are the breath!
The arrogance mentioned in verse 16 refers to being pretentious. It is to make those plans and dreams on my own—without seeking the wisdom of our Father. It is to trust those choices and my life to the stability of earthly things and my own resources. It is to desire independence rather than interdependence—to despise the Divine.
“Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow.” Psalm 144:4
God’s Word and His plan are eternal. I will pass away. His will won’t. I am subject to His will and blessedly so! I do have plans, dreams, and choices in this life. While I may not know tomorrow what my life will be like, as long as I have breath I will seek God’s will by seeking His face!
“Holy Spirit, continually remind me that I am “mere breath” and to actively pursue Christ’s will for my life while vigorously living each day to the fullest!”
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Click here for the other posts from my study of the book of James
I am joining The Good Morning Girls as we study James together.
I am joining The Good Morning Girls as we study James together.
