A letter from Jesus' brother

This devotional is written by Dreem Nkumbula.

Boasting about tomorrow

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.' 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, 'If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that.' 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. 17 If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.

Have you noticed how everything is personalised to your liking? Those who are big on digital marketing will know that Personalisation is 'trending' in advertising. A quick google tells us that Personalisation is 'the action of designing or producing something to meet someone's individual requirements'. The world aims to make us the gods of our lives and how counter is that to our walk with Jesus Christ our Lord. To begin with, James compares our lives to a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. We only need to reflect over the last 18 months to remind us of the fragility of life and how blessed we are to be counted among the living today. Therefore, when James says 'Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that' we ought to take it as a call to us as Christians to surrender to the will of our Father daily. We can rejoice and be glad that God has a perfect plan for us and is fully in control because apart from Him we can do nothing. Planning in itself is not a bad thing but it isn't about trying to squeeze God into your plans either. Boasting in ourselves is what James warns is evil and he tells us how such selfishness can be sinful when he says 'If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them." Praying and asking God daily to guide you will anchor you to His plan and you will hear the promptings of the Holy Spirit. How beautiful it is to know that you can rest and allow God to personalise you for His purpose.