James 4:13 – 17 “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.” You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil. Therefore, whoever knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.”
When we began 2020, nobody was very worried about COVID – 19. We all thought that it was some crazy sickness that was going to stay somewhere else. We approached this year like someone starting out on a roller coaster ride. Everything was going smoothly and we were just climbing up a little bit. By March, we were beginning to be a bit worried, but not too much. Governments announced precautions.
By May, things were looking far worse, and we were all deciding which mask to wear and “Do I really need to leave the house?” Our roller coaster was plunging into curves and loops and all we could do was to hang on!
Now it is July, and we see no real flattening of curves, just more and more curves! People we thought would be fine have died. People who had thriving businesses at the beginning of the year have lost those businesses or have had to drastically change the manner in which they operate. Travel plans have been abandoned or changed. Schools have closed and parents have had to learn about home schooling. No! Nobody would have predicted that 2020 would unfold in this fashion!
I have been corresponding with cousins whose mother became paralyzed during the last major polio epidemic in America, the polio epidemic of 1952. The night of August 17, 1952, my aunt walked up the stairs to the family bedrooms for the last time. By the following morning, she was in horrific pain and became increasingly paralyzed all that day. My aunt remained paralyzed from the neck down for the rest of her life.
In previous generations, believing Christians were fond of saying “If God wills it, …..” Here in Ghana, there are phrases in the tribal languages that mean the same thing. And James is correct; we are nothing but vapor. No matter how many plans we make, they can fall apart without warning. Sinning now while you tell yourself how you will repent later is ridiculous! What if there is no “later?” If you knew that your next breath might be your last, how would you live?
I HAVE A NEWS FLASH FOR YOU! YOUR NEXT BREATH MIGHT BE YOUR LAST! Now, how are you going to live? James tells us that “whoever knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.” God loves us and wants us to love Him as well. God wants you to have a wonderful life, a life filles with his love and mercy and grace. And this is why God inspired James to write these words.
We all have choices, but we must choose wisely. Psalm 90:12 tells us “So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.” Today, how will we live? Every moment, we are making decisions that may decide our eternity. Let us choose to follow hard after God all the days of our lives. Once that choice is made, we can hang on to the handles of our roller coaster lives and allow God to work.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you that you know the end from the beginning, that you are Alpha and Omega! Thank you that no matter what life holds and no matter what life throws at us, you are always with us and you will never leave us or forsake us. Lord, help us to trust you completely and to follow you whole – heartedly. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment