260 Devotional: September 1, James 4

 

James Chapter 4 (ESV)

 

Boasting About Tomorrow

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.

 

Reflection

1. Setting goals and making plans can be good. However, when we plan, we’d meet the temptation to think that we are in control of our lives and our future. And we may often push God away from our lives. When God is not at the centre of our planning and our lives, we are not in His will.
2. If you knew that you were going to die tomorrow, how would your attitude toward life today be different? What future plans do you often dwell on? In what area of your life do you need to turn your plans over to God’s will?
3. If God were to intervene your life plan, and rearrange it for you, will you be willing? Are you willing to let go and let God take charge of your plan though you may face the unknown and follow the path laid out by God? In fact, it’s only when you allow God to direct your path, can you truly live out the abundant life God has planned for you.

 

Prayer & Journaling:

If you have a prayer journal, as you listen to God, write down a few thoughts, questions, words, names, drawings, or anything that has come to your mind during this time.