As the calendar turns to a new year, many of us find ourselves filling in dates with trips, projects, and goals. Calendars mark future events months or even years ahead, yet Scripture calls us to examine how we approach planning. In this message from James 4:13-17, Pastor Léveillé challenges believers to plan wisely while submitting every intention to the Lord’s sovereign will and to act promptly on what God has clearly revealed.
Plan Responsibly, but Never Independently of God (vs. 13)
James addresses thoughtful people who make detailed plans: travelling to a city, staying a full year, buying, selling, and gaining profit. Such activity reflects ordinary business and provision, which Scripture commends elsewhere. Proverbs praises the ant that prepares food in summer, and the apostle Paul openly shared his travel intentions. Planning itself receives biblical approval.
The issue arises when plans proceed with confident self-reliance, as though time and outcomes rest fully in human hands. Faith plans responsibly yet refuses to presume upon the future. Business goals and personal gain carry no inherent wrong, but they become problematic when they crowd out immediate obedience to God. Presumptuous planning prioritizes self-interest while postponing what the Lord requires today.
Live with the Awareness That Tomorrow Is Not Promised (vs. 14)
Life, James reminds us, is a vapour that appears briefly and then vanishes. This vivid image underscores fragility rather than fear. Believers know this truth yet often live as though ample time remains for obedience. Good intentions drift into the future because urgency feels absent in the present.
History offers sobering examples: the sudden destruction of prosperous San Francisco in 1906 or the gradual erection of the Berlin Wall that trapped those who delayed escape. Every year brings unexpected loss, reminding us that we hold no guarantee of tomorrow. This awareness humbles us and reorders priorities, urging prompt attention to God’s clear commands rather than indefinite postponement.
Hold Your Plans Loosely Under the Will of the Lord (vs. 15)
The corrective comes simply: “If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.” This phrase reflects a heart posture more than a required tagline. It acknowledges that even life itself depends on divine permission. Paul planned journeys yet submitted them implicitly to God’s direction.
Holding plans loosely means preparing thoughtfully while remaining ready to release them. Booking travel or scheduling commitments carries wisdom, provided the deeper attitude surrenders outcomes to the Lord. True submission seeks God’s best rather than merely asking Him to bless decisions already fixed.
Reject the Pride That Says “Later Will Be Better” (vs. 16)
Beneath presumptuous planning lies quiet pride: the belief that we control time, health, and opportunity. This self-confidence whispers that delayed obedience incurs no consequence and that our timing surpasses God’s. James labels such boastings evil, not because they sound arrogant aloud, but because they exalt human rule over divine authority.
Pride convinces us to wait for more convenient seasons, much like Felix who trembled under Paul’s preaching yet sought a better moment that never arrived. Rejecting this pride requires humility that trusts God’s timing and recognises that postponing known duty equals disobedience.
Do the Good You Know to Do – Now (vs. 17)
The passage culminates with a solemn verdict: “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” The connecting “therefore” ties this warning directly to presumptuous attitudes in prior verses. Known duty admits no neutral delay.
Applications abound: personal devotion, family relationships, faithful church attendance, witness for Christ. While future ministry visions or facility plans hold value when submitted to God, certain priorities demand immediate action. What God has plainly revealed deserves urgency today, not scheduling for a later date.
As another year approaches, fill calendars with wise intentions and submit them humbly to the Lord’s will. Yet reserve highest priority for present obedience. Life’s brevity calls believers to prompt faithfulness in what God has already made clear, trusting Him with every uncertain tomorrow. May the coming days reflect plans shaped by humility and obedience marked by promptness.
