Sue J Love
Loyal
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2015
- Messages
- 5,292
James 4:13-17 BSB (Berean Standard Bible)
13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.” 14You 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.
15Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.” 16As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.
Lives Surrendered to Jesus
If our lives are surrendered to the Lord Jesus, he should be the one directing our paths, determining our steps, and leading us in the way that he would have us to go, as his followers. Yes, we can make plans and schedule appointments, but we should be those who are being led of the Lord, and who make it our practice to inquire of the Lord regarding any plans we make, to be certain they are according to his will. And we must make plans ever so lightly, knowing that at any time those plans may get shifted.
We must put our lives in the hands of the Lord every day, trusting him to show us what he has for us to do for each day, and then do it. We should pray and inquire of him with regard to who we should marry, and where we should live, and what kind of work or ministries he has for us to do, and where and when. We should not be the ones determining our own paths, but we should be those who are being led of the Spirit of God day to day. For he is to be ruler of our lives and not our own flesh. We are to go with God.
Now this is not saying that we have to inquire of the Lord before we make any plans at all, but that we should have the mindset to say that “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.” For obviously we have to work, and we have to prepare meals and do laundry and wash dishes and clean our homes. And we are supposed to be hospitable, and we should gather together with our children and grandchildren and other family members. And we should gather with the body of believers in Christ. But things do happen.
Knowing and Doing
So, how does all this fit with, “Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin”? What is the right thing to do, in this context? Well, the right thing to do is to not plan out our lives based on what we want to do but on God’s will and purpose for our lives. So we should seek to know his will, and then we should do his will. And this isn’t just a don’t do this but do that, instead. But this does have to do with the plans that we make for our own lives. They should not be against God’s will for our lives.
So this would be like if I prayed and I asked the Lord for his counsel with regard to whether or not I should go a certain direction. And I know that he answered me and he said “No.” But then I did it anyway. That would be sin. The direction I wanted to go may not have been sinful in itself, like taking a trip to West Virginia for a visit is not sinful (this is just an example). But if I inquired of the Lord or if I sensed the Holy Spirit warning me not to go, but I went anyway, that would be a sin. For it meant I ignored God. That is a sin.
So, the “bottom line” here is that we should be those who are seeking the will of God every day. We should be listening for his voice throughout the day, listening to hear if he says, “go here, do this, say that,” or if he gives us one of his pauses which lets us know not to take the next step. And it could be that the “next step” is not necessarily something sinful, in and of itself, but it is not the direction the Lord would have us to go, because he has something else he wants us to do, instead. So keep listening. Keep obeying.
[Matthew 4:19; Matthew 8:22; Matthew 10:38; Mark 2:14; Luke 9:23,59; John 1:43; John 8:12; John 10:4,27; John 12:26; John 21:22]
Abide in Him
Based off Psalm 27:14; Isaiah 40:31; John 14-15
An Original Work / July 31, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
If you wait for the Lord, put your hope now in Him,
He will give you His strength and endurance within.
He will renew your strength, so you will not lose heart.
You will soar on wings like eagles, never depart.
“If you abide in Me, and My words live in you,
You will walk with Me daily and follow what’s true.
I will live now in you; give you peace now within,
If you obey My teachings and turn from your sin.”
“If you listen to Me, and do all that I say,
I will give you My comfort; be with you always.
I will heal all your pain; life with Me now you’ll gain,
If in fellowship with Me you always remain.”
If The Lord is Willing
An Original Work / July 12, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
13Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.” 14You 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.
15Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.” 16As it is, you boast in your proud intentions. All such boasting is evil. 17Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin.
Lives Surrendered to Jesus
If our lives are surrendered to the Lord Jesus, he should be the one directing our paths, determining our steps, and leading us in the way that he would have us to go, as his followers. Yes, we can make plans and schedule appointments, but we should be those who are being led of the Lord, and who make it our practice to inquire of the Lord regarding any plans we make, to be certain they are according to his will. And we must make plans ever so lightly, knowing that at any time those plans may get shifted.
We must put our lives in the hands of the Lord every day, trusting him to show us what he has for us to do for each day, and then do it. We should pray and inquire of him with regard to who we should marry, and where we should live, and what kind of work or ministries he has for us to do, and where and when. We should not be the ones determining our own paths, but we should be those who are being led of the Spirit of God day to day. For he is to be ruler of our lives and not our own flesh. We are to go with God.
Now this is not saying that we have to inquire of the Lord before we make any plans at all, but that we should have the mindset to say that “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.” For obviously we have to work, and we have to prepare meals and do laundry and wash dishes and clean our homes. And we are supposed to be hospitable, and we should gather together with our children and grandchildren and other family members. And we should gather with the body of believers in Christ. But things do happen.
Knowing and Doing
So, how does all this fit with, “Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin”? What is the right thing to do, in this context? Well, the right thing to do is to not plan out our lives based on what we want to do but on God’s will and purpose for our lives. So we should seek to know his will, and then we should do his will. And this isn’t just a don’t do this but do that, instead. But this does have to do with the plans that we make for our own lives. They should not be against God’s will for our lives.
So this would be like if I prayed and I asked the Lord for his counsel with regard to whether or not I should go a certain direction. And I know that he answered me and he said “No.” But then I did it anyway. That would be sin. The direction I wanted to go may not have been sinful in itself, like taking a trip to West Virginia for a visit is not sinful (this is just an example). But if I inquired of the Lord or if I sensed the Holy Spirit warning me not to go, but I went anyway, that would be a sin. For it meant I ignored God. That is a sin.
So, the “bottom line” here is that we should be those who are seeking the will of God every day. We should be listening for his voice throughout the day, listening to hear if he says, “go here, do this, say that,” or if he gives us one of his pauses which lets us know not to take the next step. And it could be that the “next step” is not necessarily something sinful, in and of itself, but it is not the direction the Lord would have us to go, because he has something else he wants us to do, instead. So keep listening. Keep obeying.
[Matthew 4:19; Matthew 8:22; Matthew 10:38; Mark 2:14; Luke 9:23,59; John 1:43; John 8:12; John 10:4,27; John 12:26; John 21:22]
Abide in Him
Based off Psalm 27:14; Isaiah 40:31; John 14-15
An Original Work / July 31, 2013
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
If you wait for the Lord, put your hope now in Him,
He will give you His strength and endurance within.
He will renew your strength, so you will not lose heart.
You will soar on wings like eagles, never depart.
“If you abide in Me, and My words live in you,
You will walk with Me daily and follow what’s true.
I will live now in you; give you peace now within,
If you obey My teachings and turn from your sin.”
“If you listen to Me, and do all that I say,
I will give you My comfort; be with you always.
I will heal all your pain; life with Me now you’ll gain,
If in fellowship with Me you always remain.”
If The Lord is Willing
An Original Work / July 12, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
