Life is Short; Do Good!

It's about the attitude here. There's nothing wrong with planning in itself. However, according to these verses, the planners or merchants here ignored 3 considerations: 1. the finite/limited knowledge of human beings, 2. the uncertainty of life (our life is just a mist/vapor/puff of smoke), and 3. God's sovereignty and will. Planning is not wrong but leaving God out of planning is wrong. James denounces the bragging/boasting (arrogance) as evil/sinful. God wants us to trust Him about the future. "We don't know what the future holds but we know Who holds the future." (Unknown) Our future is in God's hands. Both making your plans without God and boasting stem from pride. 

Two opposing attitudes: 1. Pride says..."I'm the lord of my life; I'm in charge/in control. I'm going to make this happen and that happen. With no regard for God's plan for my life, I'll determine what I'm going to do when, where, and how." 2. Humility says..."God is the Lord of my life and He is in control. I submit everything I plan and hope for to His will. I surrender all. I only want His will...nothing more...nothing less...nothing else!"
We are not promised tomorrow. We must keep in mind our temporal nature and God's will when we make plans. This is another warning against pride and arrogance and worldliness. Our confidence, hope, and dependence should be in and upon God, not self and not the world.

Deo volente! God willing!
Dei gratia! By the grace of God...
#theuncertaintyoflife #lifeisshort #livinginthelightofeternity

What a great concluding statement verse 17 is for chapter 4! James is warning his readers who are Christians. They know that humility and dependence upon God are essential in Christian living but if they refuse to do it, they choose to sin. No excuses! It comes back to putting your faith in action again. Do what is right (in God's eyes/according to God's Word)! If we know the right thing/the good deeds we ought to do but we don't do it, we sin (commit sin of omission). Sometimes sin of omission can be trickier to pinpoint than sin of commission (doing what we shouldn't do). We're more aware of the things we shouldn't do because we would be ashamed of them (ex: lying, murdering, committing adultery, etc). But how about the things we should be doing but we don't do (ex: helping widows and orphans, spreading the gospel, practicing hospitality, etc.)? Satan loves it when Christians become complacent, inactive, divisive, self-reliant, worldly, lazy,...pretty much ineffective and useless for the Kingdom of God.
"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." (Micah 6:8) 

Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, I love You and desire to obey, please, and honor You in all I do and say. I need You every moment of my life. Be my vision, Lord. Please give me eyes to see where and how I may be a blessing to others. Please give me Your love for those around me. Please forgive me for times when I should have done something but I didn't. Please empower me to do all that You call me to do. In Jesus's Name, I pray. Amen.