My Future Plans

James 4:16 ESV

As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

Thus, James was quite strict. Not only did James prohibit boasting in possessions but persons must not even boast in their plans for the future. Such boasting stems from a prayerless, prideful, and pretentious way of life. James declared: What else is this but wickedness?1

1 Richardson, K. A. (1997). James (Vol. 36, p. 202). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

It is easy for Christians to make plans and goals, expecting God to fall in line with them. It is easy to plan our lives as if we controlled the future and had unlimited authority over all factors affecting our life. It is quite simple to plan our lives as if God does not exist. This paragraph warns against such self-centered planning. Worldly living does not always show itself in hatred for God. Sometimes it appears in the form of disregarding God as we plan life’s daily activities.1

1 Lea, T. D. (1999). Hebrews, James (Vol. 10, p. 323). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

  Verse 14 mentions two features about daily life we often ignore. First, we have no sure knowledge of the future. We do not know whether tomorrow will produce a catastrophe or a visitation of God’s grace. Even though we do not know the future, we so often act as if we are secure. We forget that we may be here for a moment and then gone. By failing to accept this fact, we demonstrate arrogant self-sufficiency.

Second, we do not understand the nature of human life which is like a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Life is both uncertain and brief.

Many of us have busy schedules. It is easy to plan those schedules without considering the will of God. Many of us have visionary goals for our business, our job, our church, or our family. God wants us to work diligently in all of those areas, but we must consider his will first as we plan our goals.1

1 Lea, T. D. (1999). Hebrews, James (Vol. 10, p. 324). Nashville, TN: Broadman & HolVerse 17 states a specific principle applied to presumptuous planning about the future. It can also serve as a general principle applying to all areas of the Christian life: It is sin to know what is right and to fail to do it. These sins of omission refuse to make a right response to God. A sin of omission displeases God just as much as a sin of commission, that is, a blatant act against God’s will. We know to make our plans in reliance on God’s will. When we fail to follow this knowledge, we commit a sin of omission. God holds us accountable for more than merely knowing the right. He wants us to do the right.1

1 Lea, T. D. (1999). Hebrews, James (Vol. 10, p. 325). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

man Publishers.

As Christians we must plan our lives in full commitment to the will and plans of God. We must also avoid omitting from our lives such important practices as prayer, Bible reading, helping the needy, and sharing our faith. To omit the latter is to commit a sin of omission. God wants our full and constant obedience.1

1 Lea, T. D. (1999). Hebrews, James (Vol. 10, p. 325). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

  We count our years at each birthday, but God tells us to number our days (Ps. 90:12). After all, we live a day at a time, and those days rush by quickly the older we grow.

Since life is so brief, we cannot afford merely to “spend our lives”; and we certainly do not want to “waste our lives.” We must invest our lives in those things that are eternal.1

1 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 371). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

“If the Lord will” is not just a statement on a believer’s lips: it is the constant attitude of his heart. “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work” (John 4:34). Often in his letters, Paul referred to the will of God as he shared his plans with his friends (Rom. 1:10; 15:32; 1 Cor. 4:19; 16:7). Paul did not consider the will of God a chain that shackled him; rather, it was a key that opened doors and set him free.1

1 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, p. 372). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

The secret of a happy life is to delight in duty. When duty becomes delight, then burdens become blessings. “Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage” (Ps. 119:54). When we love God, then His statutes become songs, and we enjoy serving Him. When we serve God grudgingly, or because we have to, we may accomplish His work but we ourselves will miss the blessing. It will be toil, not ministry. But when we do God’s will from the heart, we are enriched, no matter how difficult the task might have been.1

1 Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 2, pp. 373–374). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

“Come now, ye that say” (ἄγε νῦν οἱ λέγοντες) is the impatient challenge of James to those who leave God out of account in their plans for the future. The tone of impatience is due to the conviction that one should be so conscious of his own weakness as not to boast about the future. 1

1 Robertson, A. T. (1915). Studies in the Epistle of James (p. 216). New York: George H. Doran Company.

The uncertainty of life is one of the things that a wise man must consider and face. A clot of blood on the brain may cause instant and unexpected death. The heart, driven too hard, may suddenly cease to beat. “What is your life?” (ποία ἡ ζωὴ ὑμῶν;). He does not mean manner of life (βίος) nor the life principle nor eternal life. The question concerns all, the good and the wicked alike. The question as to the character (ποία, of what sort) of life pertains to its brevity and uncertainty on earth. “For ye are a vapor” (ἀτμὶς γάρ ἐστε), “you are but a mist” (Moffatt). 1

1 Robertson, A. T. (1915). Studies in the Epistle of James (pp. 219–220). New York: George H. Doran Company.