Scripture: James 4:13-17, Luke 12:16-21, John 9:39-41
In this our 8th lesson from James, we
will dispel the worldly attitude that we will only get out of our efforts as
much as we put into them. The point is
that all too many believe that any success, or honor, or gain that we achieve
in this life is entirely dependent on our own work and wisdom, because we will
never be able to count on getting any help from anyone else.
That’s the world’s attitude – that if you don’t do
it, it will never get done right! But then,
they don’t know the One who is always on our side, and Who will work for our good
whenever we follow in His steps. The
truth is though, that when we take credit for anything good that comes into our
lives, it is actually nothing short of arrogance and theft that is at work
within us. And stealing from God is
never a good idea!
Dishonesty will never get us anywhere – especially
when it comes to our relationship with the LORD. Satan doesn’t want us to give God any of the
credit for the accomplishments that come our way, in spite of all that He has
already done for us !
We all should realize by now that the Book of James
has been carrying that same theme throughout the last 7 messages. When we walk with Christ in this world, His
greatest desire is fulfilled when we take those risky steps at His invitation,
especially when we haven’t got a clue as to where He may be leading!
And with that in mind:
Read James 4:13-17
You may be familiar with the
poem called “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” - if not, here it is:
There are two days in
every week about which we should not worry, Two days which should be kept free
of fear and apprehension.
One of these days is
YESTERDAY, with its mistakes and cares, Its faults and blunders, Its aches and
pains. YESTERDAY has passed forever
beyond our control. All the money in the
world cannot bring back YESTERDAY. We
cannot undo a single act we performed; We cannot erase a single word we said. YESTERDAY is gone.
The other day we should
not worry about is TOMORROW with its possible adversities, its burdens, its
larger promise. TOMORROW is also beyond
our immediate control. TOMORROW, the sun
will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds, But it will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in TOMORROW for
it is as yet unborn. This leaves only
one day – TODAY.
Any [one] can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of
those two awful eternities – YESTERDAY and TOMORROW – that we break down. It is not the experience of TODAY that drives
[people] mad. It is remorse or
bitterness for something which happened YESTERDAY and the dread of what
TOMORROW may bring.
Let us, therefore, live but ONE day at a time.
If we put this into the words
that we just read from James, it might sound a little like this – don’t boast
or complain about yesterday, and don’t agonize over tomorrow – just do the best
you can today, and follow the LORD wherever He may lead you. Always remember that the ways of earth will
never even come close to the glory that is Almighty God’s.
James offered us the
alternative approach to worry and regret - “If it is the LORD’s
will, we will live and do this or that.”
James is encouraging us to set our lives firmly upon God’s reality, for
when we do, He will care for all of the blunders and failures of yesterday, as
well as the uncertainty and fears that we have written for tomorrow. Remember the lesson of manna, that it will
care for each and every day we live, just as the song “One Day at a Time”
proclaims.
Read Luke 12:16-21
This is, of course, one of
the parables that Jesus taught. The rich
man was looking not only toward tomorrow, but to many days beyond. In His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew6:19-21), Jesus tells us that our plans to secure life in the future is a
waste of time. He encourages us to look
to heaven for eternal security and hope, for that is the only certainty we will
ever be able to count on.
The man in the parable is,
apparently, planning to keep the harvest all for his own use, but Jesus would
have us understand that since He is the LORD of the harvest, He is calling
all who would work in His Field to dedicate the harvest of faith to His glory!
The problem for this “rich
fool” is that his eyes are clouded and he can only see the paltry hopes and
dreams and glories of earth – those things that he imagines will always be there,
stretching out before him, but is blind to the magnificent and eternal promises
that only God can give. When we shut God
out of our life, he gives us the opportunity to find out just how limited our own
vision of hope and preparation really is.
And what will we discover is left?
Just us and our stuff – and no true hope whatsoever!
Read John 9:39-41
If, in our blindness, we claim that our
vision is perfectly clear, where is our truth?
That’s the problem that many, even many in the Church have today. They claim to know all about God and His
ways, while never even coming close to walking the path that He would have us take. They have no hope of enjoying the beauty of all
that God has created, or the glory of His call on their life, or the
fulfillment of His promise for tomorrow, or the joy of knowing and receiving
divine forgiveness. Without His word in
our lives, we can only revel in the false hope of making our own way, never
knowing that we are hopelessly lost until it is too late to change direction.
Ours is a dead end existence without Jesus. Literally!
We stumble, we fall, we haven’t got a clue as to how miserable our
hopeless condition really is, even while we are still under the misconception
that we have finally found the path that leads directly to the love of
God. Unfortunately, it is only a love
for the traditions of earth that we honor, and God will be absent until
we allow Him to clear our way and open our eyes to the great mistake that has
led us in an errant and fruitless direction.
Jesus Christ has been waiting patiently for us to
open our hearts to the vision that He has had for each and every one of us since
before time began. And all that it takes
for us to see with the perfect truth of God is to seek the mercy that surrender
to the name of Jesus can bring to our lives.
If you have never made a first-time commitment to
Jesus Christ or desire to renew your relationship with the LORD, I invite you to pray these words with me:
Precious Jesus, I have been blind to your hope and
glory, and I am unworthy to even call you Lord.
But today, I seek your forgiveness for the life I have lived, and pray
that your great sacrifice at Calvary will be the fount that will wash me clean
of the sinfulness of earth. Make me
whole and right in you, Lord, and I desire that your word would live and reign
and guide me throughout the rest of this life and into Yours. May the hope that faith in You has promised,
lead me through each and every day of this existence. I pray this in the holy and glorious name of
Jesus. Amen
If, in this very moment, you have opened the door of
your heart to Christ, then your sight has been restored, you are now following the way of Christ instead of trying to find your own way in this world, and, at last, you are His
and He is yours – now and always!
