Seeking God’s direction
How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil. Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it. James 4:14-17 Christians have the tendency to make plans and goals expecting God to fall in line with them. There is a disregard for God’s plan as if we control the future and had unlimited authority over all factors affecting our life. There is at times a wanton disregard as if God does not exist. This is what James from the text was addressing. The Bible warns against such self-centered planning. Worldly living takes place when we disregard God as we plan life’s daily activities. God is warning us not to disregard His will for our lives; this is never a minor thing for Him. He cautions us to the point that we become self-sufficient as if we have control over the future. We take confidence and security on our own abilities. We forget that we may be here for a moment and then gone, “life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” Neglecting God’s will for our life is sin. Just like what James said, “it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” God does not want us to make excuses for our lack of obedience. Even when we procrastinate obeying God, in His eyes this is also an act of disobedience. Having good intentions or strong desire about God’s will and yet not acting upon those intentions also correspond to disobedience. God’s call is not just to “make a decision” but to obey! It is easy to be overcome by our busy schedules but God wants us to realize that He is here with us to help us see what needs to be prioritize based on His direction. We must consider His will first over all other things. God wants us to be prudent about the future but we must plan deliberately seeking His will. “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33).
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com
