Devotions/Partners

James 4:13-15 (KJV): “Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.”

COMMENTARY: “If we do this, what will we get for it” is a common mindset in the business world today. In many ways, we have become a culture that’s preoccupied and overwhelmed with metrics, statistics, reports, forecasts and anticipated outcomes to the point of ridiculousness.

APPLICATION: News flash: God is God and you’re not. He created mankind with the inability to see into the future. Yes, we can learn scientific principles about how God’s creation works. Yes, we can understand to some degree, the consequences that result from His moral laws and the actions we take. Yes, the Lord wants us to count the cost before we make decisions. He gave us a brain, and he wants us to use it wisely. However, in the final analysis, His ways are not our ways. While we desire to forecast outcomes, the reality is that the future will always be a mystery. That’s why we are to walk by faith and not by sight, trusting Him and not driving ourselves crazy trying to figure it all out in advance.

Joyfully yours,

Drew

For Further Exploration

For further exploration about James 4:13-15 (KJV), read Business Forecasting (James 4:13–17) from the Theology of Work Bible Commentary.