HUMILITY AND THE FUTURE//JAMES 4:13-17

INTRO:

Where do you hope to be in 10 years? What do you want your life to look like?

 

Most people make the most life-changing decisions in their lives between the ages 18 and 22: college or join the workforce, where to go to college and why, what to study, who to date, if you should get married, join the military, or where you should live. So many decisions! Sometimes it's just so difficult to figure out the right decision.

So how do you know if a decision is the right one?

PROVERBS 3:5-6

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him,
    and he will make your paths straight.

Scripture talks about the futility of making decisions without seeking God's wisdom.

LESSON:

Today, we'll be diving into what James said about that and how it applies to our lives.

Read JAMES 4:13-14

¹³ Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” ¹⁴ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

To whom was James talking?

Jewish businessmen

What decisions were these people making? 

They decided they would go to another city, spend a year there, and make profit. They knew what they would do, where they would do it, when they would it, and why they would do it. But they did NOT consult God in any of those decisions.

Now…

Think about tomorrow… Who are you going to see? What are you going to do? Where are you going to be at a certain time? When? Why? etc.

Why did James think this approach to life was wrong?

We can't even tell exactly what tomorrow will bring. You cannot predict what will happen in your life. It may bring great happiness—or great sorrow.  All of us need God's wisdom, perspective, and direction for the decisions we make because no one knows what tomorrow will bring.

Leaving God out of your plans is a bad idea— only He knows what tomorrow will bring.

In verse 14, what did James call these people (and us)?

…A MIST that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

This is another reason for humbly submitting our lives to God.

Hopefully this doesn't discourage you. James wasn't trying t say that your life is meaningless like a puff of smoke, here today and gone instantly. He also is not telling us that we shouldn't plan for our future and think ahead. Rather, he was trying to help you to understand that your life is short and frail, and because your life is grain of sand in the ocean of eternity, it would be foolish and unwise to plan it out and live it out without seeking God's will and purpose.

Time is short, so spend it wisely. And the only way to live wisely is under God's guidance.

The people that James wrote to apparently ignored God's wisdom because they were choosing to leave Him out of their decisions. In essence, they were setting themselves up as ruler of their own lives. They had decided that they knew what was best and therefore didn't need God's input, wisdom, or guidance.

If you met someone like that, how would you describe him/her? How would you feel about him/her?

To say you know what is best and don't need any help is the very definition of pride or arrogance.

Remember James 4:6?

 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud
    but shows favor to the humble.”

 

If God is opposed to pride, then the best approach to the future is to live in humility. So what did James tell us next?

James 4:15-16

¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶ As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.

Based on those two verses, what might be a good question to ask God about your life, not just in big decisions about the future, but also in the little decisions, too?

Living in humility before God means that you and I continually ask God, "What do you want me to do?" If you ask that question and sit long enough to listen for God's answer, He'll give it. 

Remember James 1: 5?

⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.

Think about some areas in your life that might need God's wisdom and direction. Ask God what He wants you to do both right now and in the future:

Boyfriend/future husband	Friendship with…	Argument with…	Money management
College	Career	Relationship with parents	Spare time

ONE LAST WARNING

¹⁷ If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

So what is the "good" James is talking about? Ideas?

Answer: God's will. When God tells you to do something and you don't do it, you are sinning against God. You're rebelling against what He wants. That applies to big things—like whom to marry or where to go to college—as well as the small things, like how you treat your parents or your sister/brother. 

How do we know God's will?

Check out these two websites: 

• God's Will Revealed in God's Word.
• How do I know what God's will is for my life?

HOMEWORK: 

Just something to think about... "Incomplete obedience is disobedience."

Read: 1 Samuel 13:5-14; 1 Samuel 15 – Story about how King Saul disobeyed God.

AS WE CLOSE...

James reminds us that life is short, therefore, let's live it for God-- that is the only way we'll live this life meaningfully. Let us acknowledge God in every plan, every dream, everything. Let us constantly seek His will and live in it. And if there are areas in our lives that are not according to His will, let us pray that He will reveal those areas to us and that we can surrender them to His perfect guidance and will. Our Father in heaven loves us and He knows our every need, every longing... He knows what's best for us and we can trust that He desires nothing else other than EVERYTHING that will make us happy. He desires that we will love Him too, most of all-- with all our hearts, our souls, our strengths, and our minds.

Study from: Gibbs, P. (2011). James: Faith under pressure. LifeWay Christian Resources.