James 4:13-17 "Dealing With The Future"

We all want to know what's going to happen next. People try to forecast the future: tea leaves, fortune cookies, astrology, palm reading. We attend planning and goal setting conferences.

James says there are three mistakes that are commonly made that we should be aware of.

The first mistake is shown in v13 Now listen you who say, Today or Tomorrow. We will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.

What's wrong with this? People make plans every day.
The Bible talks a lot about planning. So what's wrong here?

James says the first common mistake we make is PLANNING WITHOUT GOD. There's not a single mention of God in this entire business plan. So James is not talking about what these guys did, it was what they forgot to do… “Include God!”

If you are a believer all your business is God's business.

What's the solution? v15 Instead, you ought to say, If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.

Right in the middle of the word LIFE is IF. Life is pretty if-fy. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, you don't either.

Christians for hundreds of years used to write the initials D.V. at the end of their letters. They'd sign their name and then write D.V.. This stood for the Latin phrase "Deo Valente" -- "Lord willing". James says that ought to be our life response.

Proverbs 16:9 make plans, counting on God to direct you

The second mistake is PRESUMING ABOUT TOMORROW.
V14-16 Why you don't even know what’ll happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while, vanishes. You boast and brag. All such boasting is evil.

We shouldn't presume about the future because:
Life is unpredictable "you don't even know". None of us know what's going to happen tonight, much less next year.

One day life is a bowl of cherries, the next it's the pits.

Don’t be worried about tomorrow, let it cause you to trust God more, let it cause you to be more dependent on God.

Life is brief. you are a mist. Who knows how long we're going to live? None of us do. In describing your life the Bible uses phrases like a leaf, grass, shadow, cloud, puff of smoke, vapor. Life is short. It goes so fast from hot wheels to wheelchair.

Proverbs 27:1 Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

What's the solution? Matthew 6:34 So don't be anxious about tomorrow -- God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time.

Live one day at a time, that's how God says to face the future. The future could be overwhelming but fortunately it comes in bite-size pieces, a 24-hour segment at a time. Plan for the future but, but live now. Life is what passes us by while we're planning something else.

Today is the Good Old Days you're going to talk about in 15 years. Enjoy the now. Make the most of your now.

"I may not know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future", and that's what counts. Psalm 35:15 Lord, my days are in your hands.

A third common mistake is PUTTING OFF DOING GOOD.
Anyone then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it sins. V17. James is talking about procrastination.

Ever meet somebody who is always "aiming to do it." I always want to say, "When are you going to pull the trigger?"

How do you define sin? We think of evil activities: murder, adultery, cheating, and stealing. Those are sins of commission. But there's another kind of sin - sins of omission. "To him who knows to do good and doesn't do it, it's sin."

I can do nothing and still sin. Christianity is far more than simply avoiding evil. It is about doing good.

The solution is “Do it now”. Proverbs 3:27-28 Don’t withhold good from those who deserve it, when it is in your power to act. Don’t say to your neighbor, `Come back later; I'll give it tomorrow' - when you now have it with you."

If somebody comes to you and asks you a favor, if you can do it now, do it now.

You can do one of three things with your life: spend it, waste it, invest it.

Invest your life in things that will last—make it count. You know it doesn't matter how long you live if you're not doing anything with your life.

Remember the story that Jesus told about the talents? The master gave one talent to one man, five to another and ten to another. He left and came back years later. Two guys had doubled their money. The third man had taken his gold, buried it in the ground and did nothing with it. The master said, “At least you could have put it in a bank and got interest on it!” He said, "You wicked servant!" Why? What had he done? Nothing.
Doing nothing with your life is bad. Make your life count.

Jesus tells the story about a man who is very successful in life but he made a very foolish decision. He made all 3 mistakes James pointed out. He planned without God, presumed about tomorrow and put off doing good. Luke 12:16 The ground of a certain rich man produced abundant crops and thought, What shall I do. I’ve no place to store my crops. Then he said, this is what I'll do. I'll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. I will store all my grain and my goods and I will say to myself, `You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy. Eat, drink, be merry, but God said, You fool. This very night your life will be demanded from you, then who’ll get all that you have prepared for yourself.

This guy had "I" problems - all he could see was himself. The fact is, none of us have any certainty how long we're going to be here. Just consider that in your planning and do three things: plan with God; Don't presume on tomorrow, Make your life count!

You weren't created just to take up space. There is more to life than that. It starts when you give your life to Jesus, God's Son, and you commit yourself to Him. He becomes the manager of your life and He will direct you. Start by getting in tune with the Lord and establishing that relationship with Him.

If you only had a week left, how would you spend it?
What would you do with your husband, wife, children? God says, live each day and each week as if it were your last.