James 4:15-16

“Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil.”

My dad always used to tell my siblings and I to “plan your work and work your plan!” It was a great piece of advice and one that Scripture supports…except for one thing: the will of God. Scripture calls us to a life of order and discipline, but primarily it calls us to a life of pursuing the will of God, and Jesus was the best example of this:

“…I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.” John 5:30

There are two main things we need to put into practice from today’s verse. First of all, we need to make sure our plans and “schemes” already fit into the expressed will of God as found in the Scriptures. If there is some aspect of your plan that you can’t square with God’s Word, your plan is off and it isn’t in the will of God. Contrary to popular belief, the ends do not justify the means and God will not bless that which is contrary to His nature.

Secondly, we always need to leave room for God’s sovereignty. A friend of mine who is in the financial business likes to say, “Don’t fall in love with a stock.” A savvy investor knows when to hold’em and when to fold’em (that would make a great song), and a good follower of Christ leaves room for God to throw the existing plan in the trash and call an audible.

I have added “God willing” to my vocabulary because it reminds me to check my will against His and it also reminds me to rest easy knowing that even if the plan changes, He doesn’t.