Control
Part 3 of the "Seven Sins of Suburbia" Series
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.” 14Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. For you are just a vapor that appears for a little while, and then vanishes away. 15Instead, 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 So for one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, for him it is sin. – James 4:13-17 (NASB)
The BIG Idea
James challenges us to consider how we live our lives: in our pursuit of control or in submission to the Lord. If we truly trust God, we do not have to manipulate or control situations for desired ends.
ILLUSTRATION: The fatal miscalculations of the Mars Orbiter and the 1910 South Pole trip.
“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” – English Poet William Ernest Henley
We really can’t control much of anything in life.
We are deluded by our own egos.
Our human quest for control is in direct opposition to a humble posture before the Lord.
James challenges us on how we live our lives: in pursuit of control or in submission to the Lord.
The people James describes in this text made some fatal miscalculations.
Since we do not know what will happen tomorrow, we must seek God’s direction for our lives and for our future.
Control comes at a cost.
What motivates our need for control?
The way we exhibit control must be compatible with our desire to submit to the will of God and to live in obedience to God’s leadership in our lives.
Often our need for control is borne out of some other issue that we have allowed to become more important to us than submitting to God.
The existence of evil and chaos doesn’t indicate the absence of God from the world, but the absence of God from our lives.
If we are followers of Jesus, then we are a “saved people” living in a broken world.
If we truly trust God, we do not have to manipulate or control situations for our desired ends.
How do we avoid a disastrous miscalculation?
“James concludes by pointing out two ways to stop playing in our lives. Both relate to true humility that flow from authentic faith – first, know the right thing to do, then, second, start doing the right thing. That’s the point of James’s final warning. Know the right way. Then humbly submit to it.” – Author and Pastor Charles Swindoll from ‘Commentary on James’
Questions for Reflection
In what specific areas of my life do I tend to “go it alone?”
Is there a place in my life that is impacted by an unhealthy need for control?
Do I ever worry that things will go badly if I trust God with them? How can I reassure myself that God isn’t out to ruin my life?
What decisions have I made lately in which I failed to include God’s perspective?
What does it mean to seek God’s will in our decision making?
What decisions are on the horizon that I need to set before God and seek God’s will?
The BIG Idea
James challenges us to consider how we live our lives: in our pursuit of control or in submission to the Lord. If we truly trust God, we do not have to manipulate or control situations for desired ends.
ILLUSTRATION: The fatal miscalculations of the Mars Orbiter and the 1910 South Pole trip.
“I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.” – English Poet William Ernest Henley
We really can’t control much of anything in life.
We are deluded by our own egos.
Our human quest for control is in direct opposition to a humble posture before the Lord.
James challenges us on how we live our lives: in pursuit of control or in submission to the Lord.
The people James describes in this text made some fatal miscalculations.
- They had the wrong focus.
- They had the wrong decision-making process.
- They wrongly assumed they would have a tomorrow.
- They were guilty of pride and presumption.
Since we do not know what will happen tomorrow, we must seek God’s direction for our lives and for our future.
Control comes at a cost.
What motivates our need for control?
The way we exhibit control must be compatible with our desire to submit to the will of God and to live in obedience to God’s leadership in our lives.
Often our need for control is borne out of some other issue that we have allowed to become more important to us than submitting to God.
The existence of evil and chaos doesn’t indicate the absence of God from the world, but the absence of God from our lives.
If we are followers of Jesus, then we are a “saved people” living in a broken world.
If we truly trust God, we do not have to manipulate or control situations for our desired ends.
How do we avoid a disastrous miscalculation?
- Pray.
- Saturate ourselves in God’s Word.
- Do life with other followers of Jesus.
- Live for God’s glory.
“James concludes by pointing out two ways to stop playing in our lives. Both relate to true humility that flow from authentic faith – first, know the right thing to do, then, second, start doing the right thing. That’s the point of James’s final warning. Know the right way. Then humbly submit to it.” – Author and Pastor Charles Swindoll from ‘Commentary on James’
Questions for Reflection
In what specific areas of my life do I tend to “go it alone?”
Is there a place in my life that is impacted by an unhealthy need for control?
Do I ever worry that things will go badly if I trust God with them? How can I reassure myself that God isn’t out to ruin my life?
What decisions have I made lately in which I failed to include God’s perspective?
What does it mean to seek God’s will in our decision making?
What decisions are on the horizon that I need to set before God and seek God’s will?