Life of obedience
You do not know what tomorrow will bring—what your life will be! For you are like vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes. Instead, you should say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So it is sin to know the good and yet not do it. James 4:14-17 There are times that we plan out something in life as if we know what will happen in the future. We ignore the fact that it is God who determines the future. Though we do not know what will happen in the future yet we act as if we hold the future. This is self-sufficiency and arrogance in our part. We have a tendency to proceed with our plans and neglect God’s. From the text, James is telling the readers that it is never a minor thing to be led by God to take an action and not do it. We can make excuses for our lack of action but to God that is disobedience. Disobedience to God is sin. Good intentions are not acceptable to God without actions. We can procrastinate or make excuses for our inaction yet they will not still amount to obedience. The Lord Jesus Christ pronounced a stern rebuke to those claiming they are His followers, yet they are still continually living in disobedience to His will. “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say?” (Luke 6:46). We have to take a step out of faith and do what God is calling us to do even if it will radically change our plans for the future. It will be foolish to not follow the will of God. Life in this world is temporary and momentary. Once we learn to trust God and take actions in what we believe is His leading, life will start to make more sense. Do not let your pride prevail, instead be true to your commitment to Christ. When you claim that He is the Lord of your life, He should be indeed the Lord of your life. Don’t miss out on the blessing of being in the center of God’s will because you are not willing to trust Him completely.
Blessings,
Noel De Guzman
www.my-wbc.com