James 4:13-17

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”  As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.  So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

God should have preeminence in our lives.  He should be our first consideration and our highest priority.  We should constantly acknowledge His presence and live in light of His desires.  Unfortunately, there are many who go through life as if God does not exist.  This is both delusional and foolish.  As we go through life, all our plans should center around the will of God and His sovereign control over our lives.

THE DANGER OF PRESUMPTION: Presumption assumes that we are in control of our own circumstances in life.  When we declare that we will do something and that the result of this action is a foregone conclusion, we are being presumptuous.  There is nothing wrong with planning, but our plans should always be made in prayer and with the recognition that God is ultimately in control.  We may have desires, but our calling is to always submit our desires to God’s will and seek to inform our desires from His Word.     

THE REALITY OF OUR LIMITATION: Presumption is foolish on our part because of our many limitations. Specifically, we have no knowledge about the future.  Disaster, illness, or any number of circumstances can change in a moment that will radically alter our plans.  We have no ability to foresee what the future holds.  Only God knows exactly what will happen and when it will happen.  Not only do we lack the knowledge about the future, but we lack the strength to be able to fulfill the plans we make.  Our lives are like vapor or smoke that really have no fortitude.  We are powerless to change circumstances or prevent disaster from striking.  God is all-knowing and all-powerful.  He is the only one who is determinative about the future and the fulfillment of our plans.

THE SIN OF SELF-PROMOTION: We must recognize our weakness and ignorance by submitting our plans to His will.  Failing to do so is arrogant boasting and is sinful.  We must not think of ourselves more highly than we ought and we must never place our desires above God’s desires.  His glory and will are far more important than our success or reputation.  When we know that our will must be submissive to God’s will, but then act as if we are in control of our lives and circumstances, we are sinning.  It is both foolish and evil for us to assume positions that belong to God alone.  Competing with God for control in our lives is a fool’s errand and will always end poorly. 

APPLICATION: Don’t be presumptuous in our planning.  Be sure to hold our plans with open hands recognizing that we are subject to God’s sovereign control.  Humbly recognize out lack of knowledge about the future and our lack of strength to guarantee our ability to accomplish our plans.  Worship God as our sovereign King, submit to His will, and never try to elevate ourselves to His level.

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