James 4:13-17
Scripture
13 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”— 14 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. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Devotion
James 4:13-17 asks us to hold two responsibilities together. The first concerns the way we approach the future, planning with wisdom and diligence while remembering that every one of those plans rests in the hands of a sovereign God. The second concerns the present, since James closes the passage by reminding us that knowing the right thing to do and failing to do it is sin. Taken together, these verses guard us against presuming on tomorrow and against neglecting the good God has placed in front of us today.
It is worth considering how often we postpone obedience because we assume there will be more time later. We intend to make the phone call, offer the apology, give generously, or begin the habit of daily prayer, and we tell ourselves that next week or next month will be a better moment to start. James’s reminder that life is brief applies to these intentions as much as to our business plans, and it gives us good reason to act on what we already know.
The application of this passage might look different for each person reading it. For some, it may mean changing the way you talk about your plans, so that your words reflect a real dependence on God. For others, it may mean opening your calendar each morning and committing the day to the Lord before it begins. For others still, it may mean finally doing the good thing you have been putting off for weeks. Ask the Lord what He is saying to you specifically, and make your response concrete enough that you could tell someone whether you followed through.
HEAR About It
Apply
Write your specific, measurable application. What will you do differently this week because of James 4:13-17? Be concrete, and make it something you can report back on.
Prayer and Reflection
Take a few minutes to sit quietly and reflect on the passage you read today. Let the Holy Spirit bring to mind what stood out to you and why. Then spend some time in prayer. Pray for the people around you, for your outlook on this day, and for the needs you are carrying in your own life.
Father, help me put this week’s passage into practice. Teach me to hold my plans humbly before You, and give me the courage to do the good I already know I should do today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
