Series of James - Determining our Plans on God’s Will

 

Determining our Plans on God’s Will

James 4:13-17

How many times has someone made plans that they were unsure of and progressed in them anyway only to have wished that they had thought it out beforehand? They lacked wisdom and independently sought their own way, without asking for God’s wisdom or God’s will.

So let’s read the first portion of the text, “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.”

James is addressing not only the church, but christian leaders and businessmen and women. He begins with a strong verbal action (Now listen). He is not only talking about listening to him, but to the letter itself as it tells the hearers it is from God. So literally, they are to listen to God now, emphatically. Tomorrow is a promise that is yet fully unwritten, in the understanding of mankind. The people may have had some insight or desire about tomorrow, but no guarantees. Even today can be iffy at best. 

The driving force for their desires for tomorrow are caranal ambitions: go to a city, carry on business, or make money. All of this sounds good to the human mind and worldly desires, and may even be considered essential, but James’ point is that God is left out of the decision making paradigm. James may have had Solomon’s proverb in mind, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” (Prov. 16:9)

For James knew that everyday needed to be laid out before the Lord, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps…Many are the plans in a person’s heart,

but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” (Prov.16:3; 19:21)

James knew that much prayer and counsel would be needed before a step is made in the progress of life and business.

Application - “A person may think their own ways are right,

but the Lord weighs the heart.” (Prov. 21:2) God is the source of wisdom and guidance, and he searches our hearts and motives. We like to think that we have it all under control and the idiomatic phrase, “All our ducks are in a row.” But God is truly the one we need to make a major shareholder in our decisions. 

Especially when it comes to carnal decisions. Murphy’s law may come for a visit, if something can go wrong it usually does. No matter how much you plan, there are always contingencies that may pop up. So the safeway is to let God lead in the planning and procedural matters. Just as Jesus told us to count the cost in the matter of being a disciple,  “If one of you is planning to build a tower, you sit down first and figure out what it will cost, to see if you have enough money to finish the job. If you don't, you will not be able to finish the tower after laying the foundation; and all who see what happened will make fun of you. ‘You began to build but can't finish the job!’ they will say.” (Luke 14:28-30)

The principle of planning in anything and especially in important matters of life, needs to begin with God, and include God in each step. Both Jesus’ and James’ admonitions are pertinent to our faith and to our success in life or business. You have to be all in and you have to follow the plan that God has established. Motivation is the key evaluator. Is it for selfish ambition, pride, or greed that you are launching this journey into the tomorrows of your life or is it part of God’s will and purpose for your life?

Last, James begins with the fact that we are finite creatures, and like the psalmist he compares us to the element of mist. “You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a moment to you; at best, each of us is but a breath.” (Ps. 39:5) So let’s read the last portion of the text, “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 asks a philosophical question to begin with in this warning to the church. What is your life? James knew that life came from God, “You are the source of all life” (Ps. 36:9a) and eternal life through His Son. “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” (Jn. 17:3; Col.3:3)

James exhorts the church to understand that their lives are short, and in God’s hands. And as the psalmist said, (My entire life is just a moment to you, at best each of us is but a breath). James admonishes them to remember that it is the Lord’s will they should be doing in their lives, not their own. For they would have known a long list of Old Testament people that they could now look back at and see the disasters and chaos they made in actions and decisions that were not directed by the will of God. For the history of the Jewish people was littered by wrong motivations, hard-headed and hard-hearted decisions that led to death or impoverishment. James wanted them to seek God’s counsel and His will before they made a move, or commitment, or a resolve for tomorrow’s plans.

James then takes the church to task into another direction, their arrogant boasting. “As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.” It seems the church was doing business and life as the world, and they were boasting of their prosperity. “Proud and boastful people will be shamed, but wisdom stays with those who are modest and humble. Good people are guided by their honesty, but crooks who lie and cheat will ruin themselves. Money is worthless when you face God’s punishment, but living right will save you from death. Doing right makes life better for those who are good, but the wicked are destroyed by their own wicked ways. Doing right sets honest people free, but people who can’t be trusted are trapped by their greed. When the wicked die, all their hopes are lost; everything they thought they could do comes to nothing.” (Prov. 11:2-7 ERV)

The church needed to repent of their sins, and James lays out the sentence that is infamously read even till this day. “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” Sin is one thing that is evident in the life of everyone, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Rom. 3:23 NIV) and James ties it into easy to understand terms. “If you know the good you should or ought to do.” They can search God for his will and counsel through the Holy Spirit and the scriptures. And if they refuse to listen or heed the wisdom, will, and truth of God’s word then they know that they are walking in sin, just like Cain when God told him that “If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it'” (Gen. 4:6b-7 NIV)

James tells the church to seek God’s wisdom, His will, and counsel through the Holy Spirit’s guidance from the Word of God. For he knew that the Holy Spirit only spoke what Jesus said to speak, ”But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.” (John 16:13 NIV)

Application - Being over seventy, I have had a lot to look back at, and see the decisions made both godly and worldly. The latter usually ended in great embarrassment and trouble. The former led me to the next good thing to happen in my life. I know that I am coming to the end of the mist period of my life, but I’m looking forward to the eternal part with God. This all comes back to choosing the path set out by God and not the worldly and selfish ambition, greed, or arrogant schemes.

I hear much boasting and bragging in the world but I also hear it in the church. “Our church is the best! There is no Church like ours! In fact much applause and accolades, and kudos goes to the leaders and the mover and shakers, when the scriptures say the humble will be exalted. “For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” “One’s pride will bring him low, but he who is lowly in spirit will obtain honor.” (Matt. 23:12; James 4:6; Prov. 29:23)

Now James labels the sin that can be applied in many forms in our lives. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.” I heard a great message of sin from a young pastor, “It’s easy to see the blatant sins of the (“...earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming.” (Col. 3:5-6) But it is the hidden sins that God sees and exposes in a wayward and astray life. “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.” (Phil.2:3))

God sees everything in His brilliant light, so let’s live in His light, “God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin.” (1 Jn.1:5-7)

Let us stop making plans without God’s consent and approval, let us take off the world’s clothes. “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds;  and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Eph. 4:22-24)

And let us set our hearts and minds on God’s ways, then He will guide us in the way we should go.

For a Christian man or woman it comes in being in Christ. Paul wrote to the Colossians about our life in Christ. “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.” “The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” (Col. 3:1-4; Ps.32:8) 

I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation for all those who have not yet received Jesus Christ for salvation. For Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis

I have revised my webpage on Spiritual warfare. Please give it a look. Thank you. http://uss-warfare3.webnode.com