James 4:13-17 – “What to Do?”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

¹³Come now, ones saying, “We will go today or tomorrow into this city and spend one year there and trade and make a profit.”¹⁴Whoever, you do not know the matter of tomorrow. What [is] your life? For it is a vapor which appears toward a little and then vanishes. ¹⁵Instead of this, you [ought] to say, “If the Lord desires, we will also live and do this or that.” ¹⁶But now you are boasting in your presumptuousness. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷Therefore, it is sin to one knowing to do good and not doing [it].

Somewhere, I ran across the following quote which I believe expresses some important truths arising out of a study of this passage in James:

Within Divine control, life is within human control and this is the precise attitude and relation in which the Christian stands. The Divine control he is fully assured of, and in it he greatly rejoices. But it in no way interferes with his sense of personal responsibility, with his energy and enterprise. He plans, as other men plan; he looks forward, as other men look forward; he works toward an aim, as other men work toward an aim. But there is a cherished mood of humility, submission, and dependence in him of which the godless man knows nothing. When that mood finds expression in words, it says, ‘If the Lord will, we shall both live and do this or that.” What is wrong is:

(1)   the vauntings of self-confidence, as if we had full control of our lives, which we have not; and, on the other hand,

(2) the fatalism—whatever pietistic form it may take—which leads us to think or to say we have no control of our lives, and therefore it is of no use to plan, or to anticipate and provide for the future. True religion ennobles a man's manliness—it never enfeebles or crushes it. In everything that is manly the Christian’s sense of God should make him more manly. And it is manly and Christian to grip life with a strong hand. Life is entrusted to us that we may spend it in working out God’s plan, through working out our own; and “man is immortal till his work is done.” Find out the plan of God in your generation, and then beware lest you cross that plan, or fail to find your own place in it.

Our work is but a segment in the great sphere of God's eternal work; and if we have eyes to see, we may read, in that portion of His work which belongs to us, our name and the date of the present year.

I don’t know where I ran across the quote, and a Google search surprisingly doesn’t turn up its source. Regardless, I think the author does a good job striking the balance between the wrongful planning which is in the end practical atheism, and proper planning which is simply being responsible as we live our lives under the greatness of God.

I’m not sure yet I’ve “got it.” I feel like I do realize life is short and fragile. I feel like I do see it all as part of God’s will. But what bothers me is that the whole world thinks they’ve “got it” and yet, we obviously don’t. Am I actually an exception to the rule or just another self-deluded participant? If I say, “I’ve got it,” then, as in verse 17, I’m saying “I know the good I ought to do.” That leaves me especially accountable to answer the question, “Am I living up to the knowledge I have?” If my pride is blinding me to the sin of presumptuousness, I certainly need the Lord to open my eyes.

I guess for now, I’m just going to have to beg Him in prayer to that end and then go on. I only know to sincerely try to fill my life with love every day. I am convinced the path of love is the path of God’s will for my life. May He light the way and help me to fill my short vapor life with as much love as He will enable me to accomplish.

One thing that has perplexed me for years is this fact that we don’t know how long we’ll live. At 58, realistically I’ve probably got about 20 years to live. Then I’d be 78. 20 years is not really very long at all. On the other hand, I might live to be 98 and that would be 40 years – which seems like another lifetime. Gads, 40 years ago I was 18! On the other hand, I may die today. If I was assured I’d live to 98 (and I had the money), perhaps I could go back to school, get a degree in Celtic history and embark on a completely new career teaching history. But then again I might not live till tomorrow! So what do I do today?

As alluring as a whole different career might be (which I can’t afford anyway), it makes sense to me what Paul told the Corinthians: “Each one should retain the place in life that the Lord assigned to him and to which God has called him … Each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to” (I Cor 7:17-24). I think what this verse would say is that, in general, we all should just keep doing whatever it is we do and let the Lord decide how long we’ll do it.

… which always brings me back to the same point – just keep doing what I do, use it as my opportunity to love the people it brings me in contact with – and keep doing it the best I can, whether I die today or live to be 98.

If I’m missing something, I sure hope the Lord will open my eyes to see it. Otherwise, this is the path I’ll take – if the Lord will(!).

Speaking of “if the Lord will,” since I’m at the end of chapter 4, I think I’ll take a break from James and go back and do some OT study for a while. If the Lord wills, I’ll live to come back and finish my study of this book of James. It sure has been fun!