JAMES 4: 13-17, 5:1-6

Be careful that you do not count on that which is not yours, like time!
Your life is as a vapor, present but passing.
You do not know the future
so don't set your plans in concrete.
Commit your life to God and trust Him with tailoring it to fit His purposes.
It may actually look very different from how you've planned it.
Live mindfully, aware that you are not the One in charge.
Speak in ways that accommodate to His Lordship, His direction.
Then, you won't find yourself distressed.

Boasting about your plans, all that you will do,
is not acknowledging the One who created and redeemed you,
the One who has the right to be supplying the agenda
for your life, learning and service opportunities!

Choosing to do things that are forbidden by God,
things that are hurtful to others,
are not the only things that are designated as sin.
When you know what is right and good
and you do not do it, it is sin.

Inevitably, those things that you fashion as a “god” and choose to serve
will not serve you well in the long run.
If your focus has been to have what you want
without regard to God's commands
and without respect to those in the world around you,
the time will come when you will see that what you have
will hold no value.

Prayer:
God, you are the creator and giver of TIME.
Our times are in Your hands.
But, so often we take control, sit in the driver's seat, think ourselves the navigator,
and fail to acknowledge or consult You, our GPS (God Positioning System).
No wonder that we get off track.
Forgive us.

Help us to remember that sin is more than doing what is wrong.
It is knowing what is good and right to do
and choosing not to do it.

Again, we commit to following and serving You.
Dislodge any “god” that we have allowed entrance into our lives.
We know it has nothing of value to offer us
and will sit in judgment against us in the end.

Twila Charles Leichty
February 28, 2010