Warning about Self-Confidence
14How 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.
It seems like just yesterday that my oldest nephew was two, almost three years old, and my oldest niece was not even one-year-old. Now, my oldest nephew is almost 10, and my oldest niece is 7. I cannot believe how old they are now. It is true what they say, “Time really does fly.” It is going by faster than I thought possible, and watching all of my nieces and nephews grow up is proof. Maybe you can relate. Time is short, my friend. As a result, we must make the most of every moment we are given rather than pursuing more and more.
James reminds us of the brevity of life in James 4. In this passage of Scripture, as this book of the Bible came to a close, James wrote, “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” (verse 14). The answer to this question is not given to us in this verse, but we know the answer. “We don’t.” We do not know what life holds even tomorrow. Yes, we can make educated guesses, but we do not know for certain what tomorrow holds. We have today, so we must make the most of this day that we are given, focusing on what matters most. We must live for the things of eternity, Christ and His kingdom. After all, because life is short, we must leverage every moment we have knowing that we do not have one second to waste.
We know that life is short. This teaching from James in the book of James is not new to us. We have seen with our own eyes that life is short as we see the children in our lives grow up and we experience the heartbreaking loss of those we love. The question is, will we live with the knowledge that life is short at the forefront of our minds? It is one thing to know that life is short. It is a completely different thing to live out that knowledge. This life is so brief. May we all make the most of every moment we have been given, living with a single purpose in mind: to know Christ and to make Christ known.
Moving toward action
Take a moment now to journal your response to this question: What is one change you will implement because of the reminder that life is short? Maybe you want to focus on serving, sharing your faith, or spending even more time with your Heavenly Father. Answer that question honestly. Then, begin implementing that change starting today. Every moment you are on earth counts, begin making the most of each second you have to be a fully devoted follower of Christ.
Prayer Prompt: Use this prompt to guide you as you pray.
“God, as I consider how short life is, guide me to…”
Going deeper
Drawing Close to God
1What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? 2You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. 3And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.
4You adulterers![1] Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. 5Do you think the Scriptures have no meaning? They say that God is passionate that the spirit he has placed within us should be faithful to him.[2] 6And he gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say,
“God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble.”[3]
7So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. 9Let there be tears for what you have done. Let there be sorrow and deep grief. Let there be sadness instead of laughter, and gloom instead of joy. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.
Warning against Judging Others
11Don’t speak evil against each other, dear brothers and sisters.[4] If you criticize and judge each other, then you are criticizing and judging God’s law. But your job is to obey the law, not to judge whether it applies to you. 12God alone, who gave the law, is the Judge. He alone has the power to save or to destroy. So what right do you have to judge your neighbor?
Warning about Self-Confidence
13Look 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.” 14How 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. 15What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” 16Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.
17Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.
Translation notes (4)
- 4:4 Greek You adulteresses!
- 4:5 Or They say that the spirit God has placed within us is filled with envy; or They say that the Holy Spirit, whom God has placed within us, opposes our envy.
- 4:6 Prov 3:34 (Greek version).
- 4:11 Greek brothers.
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