James began his letter by talking about the present situation of his readers and reflecting on their past. Now he begins to look at the future. He begins verse 13 with the words “come now”. I think he’s trying to regain their attention. This is a long letter, and as it’s being read aloud at the various congregations, some of his readers are becoming distracted or falling asleep! It’s time for a “wake-up call” So James says “come now”. We might say, “Come on! You’re doing it again! Come on! Think about what you are doing, and what you are saying to each other! A popular saying, when I was a child, was: “Get your head screwed on straight!” Nowadays you hear the phrase: “Get your act together!” His readers had been setting themselves up in the place of God by judging others. Now they are doing the same thing again by leaving God out of their plans.
In today’s terms, James is saying that they are telling each other: “I know exactly where I am going, what I’m going to do, how long it is going to take, and how much money I am going to make in the process! James’ response is “come now”, where does God fit into all of this? It reminds me of the poem “Invictus”, written by William Earnest Henley. The closing lines of his poem are written below:
“It matters not how straight the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.”
The poet writes about a person whose life is miserable, but who finds some contentment in the fact that he is in charge. No one is telling him what to do!
Are you leaving God out? Do you sometimes leave God out of your life? Do you prefer to control your own destiny, and do you try to impress others by your ability to do so? Maybe you’ve been doing so today? Maybe you didn’t even realize it until now? If you don’t do something about it today, it becomes easier to leave Him out tomorrow, doesn’t it? What are you saying to God when you make plans without consulting Him?
James isn’t condemning planning. But he is saying, “As you plan, don’t leave out the Master Planner!” “He has plans for you also!” Proverbs 16:9 says, “A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” (NKJV) Like actors and actresses on a stage, we may think that we can play our roles any way we want, but we are of no heavenly good if we don’t obey the instructions of our “Heavenly Director”!
Thank you for coming to this “work in progress”. This is how far I’ve gotten so far. There will be more details and cross-references coming soon. May the Lord continue to unfold His plans for you, and direct your steps today!
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