Functional Faith + Our Time | James 4:13-17
How many of you are planners? According to a study, about 70% of people are planners, and 30% are spontaneous. Most of us like to plan our calendars, schedules, work, finances, and futures. We plan our work and then work our plan. But for a lot of us, planning is about being in control. We like to think we are in control, but control is an illusion. We are not in control of our future, and we are naïve to think that we are because only God is in control. Mike Tyson said, “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” Life throws punches at you, and it’s not what you plan but how you deal with the punches. There is nothing wrong with planning our times, but we must understand that our times are in His hands. My philosophy in life has been, “Write your plans in pencil and give God the eraser.” But I have recently changed it to “write your plans in pencil and trust God has the eraser.” I don’t give God the eraser. God is God; God is in control. The best thing we can do is make our plans with God and mind and lay them at His feet.
James is the half-brother of Jesus, and throughout his letter, he gives us practical commentary on what his older brother Jesus taught in how to have real faith in a broken world. This short letter has rocked our world and has been a mirror to show us areas where we need to grow from dealing with difficulty, loving others, taming the tongue, walking in wisdom, and dealing with conflict. He has just told us that we are not to speak against a brother acting like we are the judge of the universe. In this section, James continues to connect the dots between everyday life and a bigger, deeper reality: God is the sovereign Lord of the universe, and we are not. James teaches us about the delusion of living like we are God and the delight of submittng our lives to God.