Articles
IF The Lord Wills...
We are human beings, and we therefore think like human beings. That’s fine and good much of the time, but sometimes God expects a bit more. What do I mean by that?
Like most people, we work today for a better tomorrow. Again, that’s fine and good, and in fact quite scriptural as long as we don’t forget that tomorrow may not come, and it’s really about what we do today. We also need to be very careful to give God the credit for the good that happened today, and for the preparations He allows us to align for tomorrow if it comes. As we plan for tomorrow we need to put God’s will for our lives front and center.
Our lives as children of God should not include just this life on earth either, but certainly working and preparing for that life to come. If all we focus on is the here and now with no thought or preparation for what comes after this life, we are likely unprepared and we never know when it will be our time to step into our eternal home.
“Let not the one who puts on his armor boast like the one who takes it off” (1 Kings 20:11 NKJV). Or put another way, “it’s easier to start a fight than end one” (MSG). We must understand that this spiritual battle we are involved in requires us to see it through to the end not just finish basic training. What we do and plan for now needs to be working towards that final result.
Our dependence is upon God and our lives need to be geared for submission to Him. We should not arrogantly boast about anything including who we are, what we do or what we have. Any such talk without giving God full credit fails to recognize our dependence on Him, and fails to express our gratitude to Him for His provisions. Likewise if we plan the future without considering God’s plans for our lives, then we need to remember this teaching, “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).
Let us consciously live understanding our dependence on God, and as we walk each day may we take each step toward the future planning our lives around God’s will for us with a sincere gratitude for every blessing along the way.
