The Joy, We Give Thanks, Waymaker, Trust in God, This is My Story, Here’s My Life

What are the plans for family, business and leisure, etc. that you have laid out for the year?

¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” ¹⁴ Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. ¹⁵ Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” ¹⁶ But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. ¹⁷ Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. ² Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! ⁴ Behold, the pay of the laborers who mowed your fields, and which has been withheld by you, cries out against you; and the outcry of those who did the harvesting has reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth. ⁵ You have lived luxuriously on the earth and led a life of wanton pleasure; you have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. ⁶ You have condemned and put to death the righteous man; he does not resist you.

There’s so much chaos and uncertainty around us right now, and it’s only getting worse with shocking new developments around the world— that’s the bad news. But the good news is, God is still on His throne, He’s in control and still has a plan for us. He still has a word for us today as we look at our passage in James.

SURRENDER OUR PLANS

James was writing to a group of believers who were going about their lives and making plans. Yet we do not really know what will happen in the future (James 4:13-14). A different passage in Luke has the same thought, in a parable Jesus taught (Luke 12:16-20). There are numerous references to “my, myself, and I” in this short parable, but God was not in the plan of the rich man in the story. When God is not in the picture when we make plans, it’s practical atheism! We don’t even know if we’ll be able to fulfill those plans. Instead, we ought to say, “If you want me to, Lord, then I will do it.” (Proverbs 19:21, James 4:15-16). We are to surrender our plans to the Lord and do His will (Psalm 37:5).

How do we discern God’s will? We need to look at the following:

1-God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17). God’s will cannot contradict God’s Word.

2-Prayer (James 1:5).

3- Godly counsel (Proverbs 15:22). Ask people we respect, especially those who have experience in the area you need discernment for.

4- Providence (Proverbs 16:9). Be sensitive to what’s happening around you, how God may be showing His will to you.

5- Peace from the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). His peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit; it has to be the whole fruit.

Ask God to show you the way to His will as you surrender your plans to Him.

SURRENDER OUR ACTIONS

We might know God’s will, but are you doing it (James 4:17)? If we know the right thing to do but we’re not doing it, that is sin. Selective obedience is also disobedience. We are to be doers of the Word (James 1:22). Otherwise, as Jesus warned us, we will receive dire consequences for our sin (Luke 12:47).

Do we have a “selective obedience checklist” — actions we know we should do but aren’t doing such as sharing the gospel (Mark 16:15), making disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), forgiving (Matthew 6:14-15), worrying (Philippians 4:6), consuming content (Philippians 4:8)? Surrender your actions, obey what God wants you to do right away.

SURRENDER OUR WEALTH

James also called out the wrong things that the wealthy Jewish believers were doing (James 5:1-6). The Bible is not against wealth, but we need to watch out for how we handle resources. Are we hoarding or accumulating too much from online shopping, etc.? The problem could also be that we are exploiting other people. Pleasures can also get misdirected, or we live excessively. The Bible instructs us to place our hope in God, not in riches, to do good works, be generous and store up “treasures in heaven” (1 Timothy 6:17-19, Matthew 6:19-20). Here are some practical ways to surrender wealth to God:

From hoarding to strategic giving for building God’s kingdom

From exploiting/abusive to doing good works (volunteer to serve in ministries, start your own Dgroup). From misdirected desires to hope/dependence on God, and from an excessive lifestyle to eternal investing. Remember, God prospers us not to increase our standard of living, but to increase our standard of giving (Randy Alcorn). In what ways can we steward God’s resources better? Make a commitment today to surrender all “your” wealth to God, and to use His wealth the way He wants you to.

Pray for more people to learn and practice surrender to God’s sovereignty.

This week, choose one point of surrender (plans, actions, wealth) and act on it to be a blessing to those who still need to know Jesus.

Share the gospel as part of your obedience to God’s plan for your life.

• Worship God for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do in our lives.

• Upright and moral governance of public servants; repentance and salvation for government leaders and citizens for a Christ-centered Philippines.

• For legislators to promote and support bills and laws aligned with God’s Word.

• Pray for persecuted Christians in Sudan and Nigeria) — many have been beheaded and murdered; earnestly seek God’s intervention to stop the bloodshed. Pray for freedom from oppression, that God’s word and His people bring them comfort and hope.

• PRAISE God that the rest of the living Israeli hostages have been restored to their families safely! Continue to pray that the last remaining dead hostage will be returned to his family for burial.

• For Israel’s war with terrorists to end according to God’s purpose and for His glory. For Jewish people worldwide who are experiencing a surge of antisemitism. May this lead them to the Messiah, Jesus as they turn to God for help and comfort.

• For nations in turmoil (e.g., Ukraine, Iran, Syria, etc.) to experience true freedom in Christ and become centers for massive spiritual revivals in their regions. For new Iranian leadership to rise up that will be for the people of Iran, will promote freedom of worship that the Iranian believers will be able to reach out to the rest of their countrymen and the people of the Middle East.

• That CCF Members would honor and love God and make disciples.

• For elders, pastors, dleaders, and families to become holy, humble, harmonious, happy, and heart-working.

• Ministries and churches expand worldwide.

• Worship and Training Center

• Prayer Mountain

• Deeper intimate relationship with God.

• Righteous living.

• Salvation of family and friends.

Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”