There is a War being waged in the human heart between arrogance and humility. These are the two underlying attitudes we can eagerly embrace at any given moment, two utterly opposing viewpoints of Life, conflicting ‘world-views’ if you will. Arrogance {if you’ll allow me to expand your conception momentarily} is ‘unfounded pride, unrestrained ego, a supreme sense of self -importance, a presumptuous conceit, an overbearing attitude, pompous religiosity on one end and self-consumed sensuality on the other.’ Humility and arrogance give rise to two separate styles of thinking and speaking: one with Abba firmly in mind, the other firmly with out. Arrogance gives no thought to the Kingdom of Grace or the will of its King. “Not even on my radar.”
So with this attitude of oblivious arrogance firmly in mind James writes in 4:13, “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this city or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’” Remember, James is speaking to Jewish Followers of Jesus, and Jews were the consummate traders and merchants of the ancient world. It was a world which gave them— by one ever-expanding empire after another— ample opportunity to hone their commercial craft. This is the is the background behind the picture set before us.
V. 14 tells us boldly, “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.” Which is another way of saying, “You don’t even know if there will be a tomorrow!” “What is your life?” I.e, “Let’s put this in perspective.” And the way you do this, with anything, is to weigh it against Eternity. “You are a mist which appears for a little while,” James say’s, “and then vanishes” {v. 14}, like morning fog on a country lane which burns away with the first rays of the Sun. “Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or do that.’” James answer to our own short-sighted arrogance in v. 15 is simple. Man proposes his plan and God disposes this plan. Man proposes; God disposes! Your tomorrow is not guaranteed ...nor is anyone else’s.
The uncertainty of our endeavors was deeply impressed on the nations of antiquity. Proverbs 27:1 says, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.” Jesus seems to be drawing on this divine reality in Luke 12:13-21 when He tells the ‘Parable of the Rich Fool,’ the man who made his fortune, hoarded his goods for a long, prosperous life, and promptly forgot [a] he wasn’t in control; and [b] his soul might be required of him “this very night.” The Roman philosopher Seneca {4 BC-65AD} said, “How foolish for a man to make plans for his entire life, when not even tomorrow is in his control. No man has such rich friends that he can promise himself tomorrow.” Indeed. Even Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “I will come to you very soon, if the Lord is willing” {1 Cor. 4:19a}; again, at the end of his 1st Letter, “I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits” {16:7b}.
The lesson James is trying to teach us is: This unpredictability to life in a fallen world is cause for neither fear nor inaction among the Family of Faith. It’s simply one more reason to realize our complete dependence on Someone greater than self— our Abba. We make plans in surrender to His will and submission to His power, trusting the Holy Spirit to guide us through the minefields we could never foresee on our own! This passionate trust in the Spirit is the identifying characteristic of those who walk “in step with” Him {Gal. 5:25b}, of full grown Sons and Daughters of God {Rom. 8:14}.
Jesus’ Way is to not be terrorized into fear of the future or paralyzed into passivity by what we imagine might happen ...but to trustingly surrender all we have, all we are, and all we ever will be, into the good and gracious hands of our Father. Your plans may not be His plans; and your will may not be His will. We need to be honest and humble enough to admit it.
Ric Webb, Shepherd
Heart's Journey Community
hjcommunity.org