Jun 28

James 4:13-15
Memorise James 4:15
“…if the Lord wills…”

Today’s verse properly starts in James 4:13. We read: “Go to now, ye that say, today or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there      a year, and buy and sell, and get gain”. (“Go to now” is an old English phrase meaning “come now”). This is a concrete image of a businessman who is full of himself. He must have been a successful, rich man, like Richard Branson or Rupert Murdoch! He is a very confident man. He thinks that he is the master of his own fate. He makes long term plans, travelling from city to city to clinch multi-million dollar business deals. But what does James say to such people?

“Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”

The lesson is clear. It is a stern warning to anyone who tries to forge their own destiny without seeking God’s will. He presumptuously imagines that he alone is responsible for his own future and success, and God does not factor in any of his plans. He is like the fool in the parable in Luke 12:16- 21 who thinks he can amass treasures on this earth for his own carnal enjoyments, not realizing that God can take his life away any moment, and all his wealth will be for nought. Likewise James’ warning here is clear – our life is but a swirling temporal vapour that so quickly dissipates and disappears with a light gust of wind. Therefore instead of pinning our hopes and dreams on this temporal world, and trying to wilfully devise our own future, we ought rather to trust in God.

For the believer, our daily prayer is to say ‘if the Lord will, we shall      live, and do this or that’. Realize that the phrase ‘this or that’ really encompasses everything in our lives. There is nothing outside of God’s control, and neither should we ever seek to do anything outside of His will. The best thing we can possibly do is to seek His perfect will in everything in our lives.

Thought: God is sovereign over all aspects of our lives. We should not be disappointed when things do not turn out our way! God’s way is always the best!
Prayer: Lord, I thank You that You are Lord of all, that everything in my life is under Your control. Help me to be conscious of Thy will.