Living
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In the devotional entitled “Finitude“, the issue of how vulnerable man is, when it comes to pursuing and achieving his aspirations, was brought out strongly.
We have ambitions, we set goals and we plan. But we are not even guaranteed we would wake up tomorrow to meet the conditions that will facilitate the achievement of those goals. So when we plan as if the fruition of those plans depend on us only, we set ourselves up for disappointment and stress.
Companies usually plan the next year in the last quarter of the previous year, and I know a lot of corporate institutions planned 2020 in the last quarter of 2019. But we all know how 2020 turned out to be. Those who planned rigidly, as if everything depended on them, were disappointed; but those who gave room to eventualities had themselves covered.
That is life, and that is what the finitude of man is about. We are not fully in control here. It is this knowledge that made James gives the advice he gave in James 4:13-16
Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.
(James 4:14-16 NLT)
When in planning, we say,
“If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that”
then we are recognizing our limits, and not setting ourselves up for disappointment and heartache. Then, we are being realistic about our environment, vulnerabilities and situation, and this prevents us from living in denial. It makes us plan more realistically, and live more fully.
Jesus recognized this when He said,
“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
This recognition of our condition and adaptation to it gives us a certain mastery of our situation. Then we can say we are living.
MEMORY VERSE
What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”
( James 4:15 )
QUESTIONS
Have you been frustrated by the uncertainty of life?
Why don’t you commit all your plans into the hands of God, Who knows it all?
PRAYER TIP
I commit all my plans and aspirations into Your hands, Lord.
URGENT CALL
Every soul is valuable to God, far more than the entire world! But by nature, we are all sinful, and alienated from God, and we ultimately face his wrath!
God in His mercy and love made a way for us to remedy this. He gives us a chance to reverse this downward spiral to destruction, join His family, be part of His household, and become His children.
The first step to becoming a member of God’s household is for us to be saved.
Salvation comes through accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Personal Savior.
It is a very personal decision. No one can make that decision for you.
If you make that decision today, there will be great singing and rejoicing in heaven; because one new member has joined the family and household of God! A soul, much, much more valuable than the world, has been saved from destruction!
Do you want to make that decision today?
Please visit “The Believer’s Prayer”
for guidance if you want
to make that decision.
We will be happy to hear from you through the contact information on that page, or the ones at the top of this page. Don’t delay. Make this very personal decision today!
God richly bless you
SPECIAL GRATITUDE
Thank you for visiting the Testimony Devotional Website.
We would not have gotten here without your prayers, goodwill and overall support. We are grateful, and humbled.
We thank God for counting us worthy to share in His Great Commission; and we thank you for sticking with us through this journey.
God richly bless you.
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