Carpe Diem

Read James 4:1-17

“Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will,
we will live and do this or that.’”
(James 4:16)

Thoughts… James is saying that one of the big mistakes we can make in life is to do our planning without God. He describes this kind of person in verse 13: “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’”

Did you notice there is not a single mention of God in this person’s planning? This guy knew what he wanted and how to get there, but he didn’t bother to check it out with God first.

It’s not that James has a problem with planning—he doesn’t. What he has problems with is presuming. It is good to have dreams and goals—as long as you include God and establish them prayerfully. The problem with the person in this verse is that he forgot to include God in his planning. He just presumed that God was okay with what he had in mind. But he didn’t seek God’s advice or approval first. He had operated independently from God.

That’s a pretty common sin. And it can lead to some very serious and negative outcomes in our lives. The great Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote prolifically on the horrors of the Russian Revolution, where 60 million Russians died, attributing this nightmare to one simple fact: “Men have forgotten God.”

This is what James is talking about. You can be a believer and forget God in your daily life. It’s possible to love him but leave him out of the picture when it comes to planning your career or running your business or pursuing your education. And when you do that, in effect, you become a practical atheist.

If this is such a common sin, then what is the solution? Very simple: Include God in your goal setting. In fact, you may need to stop what you are planning right now and ask God what he thinks about it.

If you are buying a home, purchasing a car, making a career move, hiring an employee, beginning to date, ending a relationship — what does God have to say about it? Do you even know? If you haven’t gone to God first, then you need to seek his forgiveness and be willing to back away from that commitment, if possible, if he hasn’t given you the green light.

Verse 15 says, “Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” The starting point to bringing your life under God’s control is to put everything through the “if” filter mentioned in this verse: “If” it is the Lord’s will…

These early Christians in James’ day really began to catch on to ordering their lives by seeking the Lord’s will first. They came up with a Latin watchword to remind each other of the importance of actively putting all of life into God’s hand. It was Deo Volente: “If God wills.”

In fact, in many periods of history, the believers would end their letters with “D.V.”, Deo Volente. Then would they respond to, “If God wills” with another phrase, “Carpe Diem: Seize the day.”

What a great way to live: “If the Lord wills, I will seize the day!”

Prayer… Lord, your will—no more, no less. That’s what I desire!

One More Thing… “The will of God will never take you to where the grace of God will not protect you.”