TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15 NKJV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• In the last few weeks, two of America’s favorite celebrities have died — the First Lady of a television, Betty White, and America’s Dad, Bob Saget. Both have been remembered for their exceptional kindness. And that’s a positive! A wonderful attribute and legacy to be left behind!
Obviously, I don’t know their individual beliefs, and whether either trusted in the Lord as their Savior — but when I think of any eulogy written about me… sure, I want people to remember me as a kind woman… but most of all, I want to be remembered as someone who loves Jesus.
Because at the end of our lives, that’s all that will matter.
This week, on “Not the Bee,” writer Peter Heck penned a piece, “A word about Bob Saget and the topic we try to ignore.” He wrote in the article, “One of the most remarkable things about humanity continues to be our willingness to make plans and preparations for anything and everything, even though there’s absolutely no guarantee we will ever see them.” And he is absolutely correct.
James 4:13-15 speaks of this — “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.’”
Let’s get beyond the life and death of things for a minute… this could even include plans we make for school, marriage, career, retirement, etc.! The Lord directs our paths (Proverbs 16:9). We can make all the plans we want to make, but we don’t have the resources to control our destinies, and therefore — we can’t guarantee our plans will go our way. We saw this in the plans Betty White and Bob Saget were making: she was planning for a 100th birthday celebration only a few weeks away, and he was making plans for his comedy tour.
So what James was telling us — consult with the Lord. Don’t make plans without involving God in the process and seeking His will. Whatever our plans are, He may go along with… but He may have a better one. When we’re open to God’s will in the planning of our lives, He may send us in an entirely different direction than the one we had in mind. But if we surrender to His will, rather than resisting it, we’ll find that (as usual), He was right. And we’ll love the plan He chose for us vs. the one we thought we wanted.
And to add to this, I saw a meme on Instagram that had two viewpoints, “Life is short, better enjoy it” vs. “Eternity is long, better prepare for it.”
Of all the plans we make in this life — the plan for our eternity is the most important and, often, the most overlooked. The only way to prepare for eternity is through accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It’s the one plan we can make that gives us a guaranteed destiny for everlasting life with God the Father. But to do nothing is also a choice. And that choice comes with a heavy price tag. One I’m thankful I’ll never pay.
To quote from Peter Heck’s article again, “So by all means, enjoy each breath, savor each moment, forgive and love, laugh and live life to the fullest. But the One who owns us all reminds us deliberately that it is ‘appointed unto all men once to die’ [Hebrews 9:27]. That could be when we’re pushing the century mark like Betty White, or it could be moments after we’ve tweeted out our exciting plans for the coming week’s comedy shows.”
So make plans with God, including your plans for eternity.
Today, as you pray, thank God that His plans are always better. Thank Him for being a personal God who cares and is invested in our lives — involved in the details and not leaving us to fend for ourselves. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you seek God’s will above your own. And if you aren’t sure about your eternity, pray that Jesus will forgive you of your sins and tell Him that you receive Him as your Savior, knowing that His death and resurrection make it possible for anyone who repents and believes to have everlasting life.
SHARING ••• My Grace-Full Life is written by Denise Heidel. You are welcome to share anything I write, but please credit my writing and graphics accordingly. Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Subscribe through my website to have My Grace-Full Life delivered to your email. You can unsubscribe at any time. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the NKJV translation.
