James 4:13-17
[13] Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—[14] yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. [15] Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” [16] As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. [17] So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Head: How much control do you think you have over the future?
Heart: Do you trust that God is caring for you today and tomorrow?
Hands: With what attitude should we make plans and act for the future?
How sure are you about what will happen tomorrow? Next week? After that? The Bible reminds us that though we should make plans for the future and to work to make things happen, we must remember that future events and the fruit of our labor lay in God's hands.
It is important that we make plans and decisions with God's sovereignty and glory in mind. Yes, God gives us choice. Yes, God gives us creativity. Yes, God gives us intelligence and wisdom. But we thrive when we exercise all these things in Christ and for Christ.
We are not meant to live apart from Him. We can, but it's not honoring to Him and it's not good for us. The Bible describes such an attitude as arrogance, thinking that we do not need God and can live just fine on our own. We cannot. In fact, in light of eternity, verse 14 says that on our own, we are just "a mist that appears for a little time and vanishes".
So, with a major transition time coming up soon, take time each day to keep God clearly in view and deep in your heart. make every decision with God's glory as the goal. Take every action with His power in view. At every setback, let His grace and mercy help you back up.
>> Go to YG Seniors Devotions Main Page
Devotional Guide:
1) Pray for understanding in your mind, for trust in your heart, and for powerful obedience in your daily living.
2) Read the passage and mark anything that blesses you, challenges you, or raises a question.
3) Reflect on the passage. What's God saying about Himself? What's God saying about you?
4) Pray in response to what God puts on your heart through the Word.