James 4:11-17

Good morning! Before you start your time with God today, start by praying that God would open your eyes to the wonderful things in His Word through your study (Ps. 119:18). Then read the passage slowly, taking notes on what God is teaching you through His Word, and answer the questions.

As you read this week's passage, look for these words or phrases: speak against, judge, Lawgiver, life, vapor, boast, sin.

Passage for the week: James 4:11-17 (NASB)

11 Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.

12 There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”

14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”

16 But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

Digging Deeper:

MONDAY

List all of the characteristics of God that you find in this passage (what God is like, His attributes).

What is the command in verse 11? What are some ways that we can violate this command?

Who is the Lawgiver and the Judge in verse 12? What is He able to do according to this verse

TUESDAY

In light of God being the ONLY Lawgiver and Judge, how should we treat others?

What does James have to say about the man who is banking on tomorrow?

According to these verses, are we guaranteed that we will be able to do what we planned on doing tomorrow? Explain how this should change our perspective on life.

WEDNESDAY

In verse 14, what is our life compared to?

From these verses, it is evident that our lives are but vapors of smoke. What does Job 7:7 and Psalm 39:5-6 say about our lives?

According to verse 15, what should be our approach to the future? How is this perspective different from the man who thinks he is in control of what will happen tomorrow?

THURSDAY

Have you ever boasted about what you think that you are going to accomplish in the future? What does James this kind of boasting in verse 16?

This kind of boasting is also found in other passages of Scripture. Read 2 Timothy 3:2-5 and 1 John 2:16. In both of these passages, where does this boasting and arrogance come from?

FRIDAY

List all of the things that you plan on doing today and tomorrow. Then, pray that list back to God and ask Him to give you His perspective on those events. Pray by saying, “If the Lord wills, I will do this or that.” This will increase your dependence on God and help you to realize that your life is not just about what you have to do today, but rather it is about God’s plan for your life.

What is James telling us in verse 17? So, how does that change the way you are going to live today?

Pick a verse or two from this passage that has really challenged you and memorize it.

Chew on this:

The first group addressed consists of wealthier Christians. Their plans are normal plans: travel to a certain city, sell the goods they brought with them and perhaps purchase others, and make money. Is this not the way business is done? James’s criticism is that they are in fact carrying on their lives and businesses just the way every other worldly person does. As Christians, they should be well aware of not only how uncertain the future may be, but also Who actually controls the future.

The picture James paints for us is that our lives are like a puff of smoke from a camp fire. It appears over the fire for a few seconds, but then it disappears. We learn from this picture that the idea of planning without taking God’s values into account is foolishness. James’s point is not simply that we ought to just merely say, “If the Lord wills,” before we carry out our plans. This would a lip-service to God, without it being genuine. Instead, James is trying to tell us that we need to seek God’s plan and follow God’s will in their use of our time and the things God has given us. This is a contrast of boasting or bragging. What type of pride is this? 1 John 2:16 uses the same term for the boasting of (or pride in) what a person has and does. When we have this kind of pride, we think that we are laying plans that God did not make and claiming an ability to control our lives (which God actually controls!), and boasting about all the things we are going to accomplish.

When we choose to live in our pride and refuse to live according to the Scriptures, then it is sin! Many of us know these things, but we sometimes do not live this way. Why not consult God and ask Him what ought to be done with our time and possessions? Let’s remember to acknowledge God everyday and to seek to follow His will!

For His Name,

Pastor Stephen