Planning our lives to please God

Plans that please God will guard against the arrogance of self-reliance (James 4:13,16)

Explanation: James continues to instruct the congregation against the dangers of worldliness, this time in the area of planning. He is calling out believers who are planning future events much the same way as non-believers would. His tone is stern as he admonishes those who produce detailed plans of what and when they will do such and such a thing, without any regard at all for God.

Illustrate: Bruce at the shipyard. He was an engineer with a plan to make money in Vegas. He wasn’t going to gamble - he was going to use his mathematical systems that would produce results!

Argument: Making plans for the future is a good thing. At Forgiven Ministry, the ODWG camps are planned in advance. Actually the next year calendar has assigned dates for camps by the October of the previous year (except for during the coronavirus pandemic!) If you wait until a month out, it simply won’t happen - too many moving parts.

Or just try putting a mission trip to Central America together in 3 weeks. Again, it won’t happen. Events such as camps, mission trips, family vacation, and financial retirement all require advance planning. James is not against the activity of planning - he is simply calling out believers who are sinning in their plans by ignoring God.

So what does a planning that pleases God look like? That brings us to the second point:

Plans that please God will accept the uncertainties of life (James 4:14)

Explanation: James reminds his listeners of the brevity of life. He compares our natural span of years as humans to a mist that vanishes in the morning sun. James is reminding them that they are not guaranteed life beyond the present. While we understand that the average length of life is between 70 to 80 years (Ps 90:10), this is not a guarantee. God knows the length of our days (cf Job 14:5, but it remains a mystery to us)

Illustrate: Nicole Fox had this verse underlined in her bible. If I remember correctly, this was the only verse she had highlighted in that particular bible.

Argument: We live in a fallen world and the effects of sin impact all of us, believers included. God never promised to give us a shield of invincibility in this life. Believers still get aneurysms, terminal cancer, and Covid. What He did promise us was His continued presence (Heb 13:5) and the indwelling of His Spirit to carry us through (Romans 8:15-18)

Application: Given the uncertainties and the shortness of life we should ask God to teach us this truth (Ps 39:4; Ps 90:12). And, we should seek to make the most of our time for Kingdom purposes (Ephesians 5:15-17)

Plans that please God will Recognize His Sovereignty and Reflect His will (James 4:15)

Explanation: James gives a corrective to their worldly planning processes by bringing them face to face with a God who has a Revealed Will. Instead of leaving God out of the process, the believer will start by seeking God’s will and then planning accordingly. As we are limited creatures and He is the Eternal One who sees and knows everything, this just makes sense for us to seek His agenda instead of our own!

Illustrate: You are given a choice of jigsaw puzzles. One is in a ziplock bag with a note that states the puzzle is missing pieces. The other is in a sealed box with a picture of what the finished puzzles will look like.

Argument: We have a troubling tendency to forget this important truth: He is God; we aren’t. The Father expressed His sovereignty in the OT (Isaiah 46:8-10; Jeremiah 18:5-6) and Jesus expressed the same truth in the NT (John 15:5)

Warning: These aren’t magic words. Including the phrase, “if it is God’s will” does not make everything work out. There are many instances in the Bible where the person did not speak these words before making a plan (David, Jesus, and Paul just to name a few). It is an attitude of the heart - one that seeks to honor God in all things.

Application: We are to pray first, then make our plans. We will be pleasing to God when we acknowledge His rightful position through our submission to His will.

Plans that please God will be flexible (James 4:17)

Explanation: James adds a statement that at first glance seems an add on that is not connected with what he has been saying. Actually, the sentence does fit with the subject at hand. What James is saying is that even when we have good and godly plans in place, there is a need for flexibility. We must remain open to God changing our plans at any time.

Illustrate: Plans have been made for our outreach to Law Enforcement and Emergency Response Personnel. You have been assigned a role in the distribution process and you are on the way to the Church building to perform that role. On the way, you pass a person stranded on the side of the road. It is cold and windy, and the person is in distress and needs help, but you can’t stop because you are supposed to be at the Church in 10 minutes.

Argument: Ministry is often messy and it doesn’t always operate according to our time schedule. We do well to remember that God has the right to interrupt our schedule anytime He so desires. He sometimes arranges Divine Appointments, and we sin when we fail to meet them.

Sins of omission are just as wrong as sins of commission, even when we don’t like to agree with that statement. As long as we haven’t done anything wrong, we consider ourselves to be in the right. Regardless of our rationale, God considers us to be in a sinful position when we fail to do what He is convicting us to do.

Application: Be willing to let God interrupt your plans. When the Holy Spirit leads, you trust and obey. God is more interested in a contrite heart than sacrifices (cf Psalm 40:6-8)