LEARNING DAILY
James
4:13-14, Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such
a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do
not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor
that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.
I will
discuss the weekend’s message in the next page of the blog. Let me tell you
that there was some sadness in our family over the weekend. Our daughter’s
family needed to put down their part Lab, part Great Dane, 100+ pound dog. He
was gentle and the peacemaker around the house. Anyone who has had a pet for very
long understands just how attached we become to them. Then the time comes when a
very difficult decision needs to be made.
That same
day, my wife and I attended a Seniors Luncheon at church. It was our first and
might be my last! The “program” consisted of listening to seven or eight people
tell us about programs to help us grow older in an easier way. Of course, the
last one to speak represented a funeral home. That seemed fitting after listening
to those who would provide home care assistance, financial instruction, legal
help so everyone would get what we wanted them to have, and help for us or
family members when dementia set in. When they were done, I leaned over to the
guy sitting beside me at the table and mentioned it was interesting to realize how
fast the years had passed. He either did not hear me or did not know how to
reply.
The luncheon
plus the dog being put down made me stop and reflect a little. James writes
that not one of us knows what tomorrow will bring. Yes, we plan for tomorrow
but do not so in an attitude of self-reliance. I believe he suggests we plan
with humility and without an attitude of self-confidence. James has been
writing previously about following the thought process in the world rather than
planning according to the wisdom of God. He writes about a person who is making
plans and then vowing about keeping them, doing so with his own power and
ability. That is not what God desires in those who follow Him! Following the
ways of the world too often involves an attitude of success at any cost and
selfish ambition.
James writes
that those who believe this way are arrogant in believing we are the masters of
our own destiny. We want to think that we can do whatever we want if we put our
minds to it. The problem with this thinking is that none of us can predict what
the future holds. There are many who are telling us “this or that” is going to
happen so we better do this in order to be successful. But our lives are
fragile, “a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away”;
here for a moment and then gone. James is not being pessimistic or wanting to
discourage us; he is writing about planning without God’s influence. His point
is to be aware that every moment of our lives is dependent on God’s will, His
mercy and grace.
Take the
time to embrace your spouse, son, daughter, grandchildren and friends. Hug them
and tell them you love them because no one knows when God will call them home.
Consider the really important things in life and do not let a moment go by
where you don’t make your love known.
Time passes too quickly.
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