This post by christinecoltman was originally published at GRACE PLACE
Whose is Your Life: A Christian Worldview
James 4:13 – 5:6 | CBC Ladies Bible Study | April 2023
Are you an avid planner or more of a spontaneous opportunist? Wherever you fall on that spectrum, the fact is, we all make decisions and we all make plans. We plan all sorts of things: what we might need to pack for a day out with children; who will pick up a family member from the train station or a child from an after-school club that you had to originally plan to see if they could even go to the first place; maybe it is planning time to prepare for a course or an exam; deciding when to do this study even. This passage may feel like James has an issue with us making plans, but that isn’t the problem. The problem is our heart attitude about the plans we make.
Read James 4:13-17
- James is giving an example of businessmen making plans to make money. We wouldn’t necessarily think this is too far fetched, is it not being wise to work out how to earn money or how to provide for ourselves and our families? Yet James refers to them as ‘arrogant schemes’ and ‘boasting’ (v16). What is it they are doing then (or maybe not doing), that James is trying to warn against?
- A) What does James mean by our lives being like ‘mist’ (or ‘fog’ – NLT) v14?
B) Isaiah 40:28 says, ‘The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.’ Our lives greatly contrast this! How should this make us seek God more when making decisions or plans?
- What does verse 15 say about the right way you should think about life? What does it mean? How can we implement this in our big plans and our smaller decisions?
- Application. Proverbs 3:5-7 ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.’ A Godly life is shaped by regularly considering what God has promised for our life and making daily/big decisions consistent with God’s desires for us. Are there areas of your life you need to hand over to God and trust him with, rather than being ‘boastful’ and ‘arrogant’ with your own decisions/plans?
Pray:
Thank God for his grace and mercy on our lives and that Jesus died for us, even though we continue to sin.
Ask God to forgive you for your arrogance and boastfulness about the plans/decisions we make.
Seek God’s wisdom and guidance for your future plans. May our plans reflect His will for our lives as we glorify Him in all we do.