Is it wrong to plan?

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TODAY'S SPECIAL: James 4:11-5:6

TO CHEW ON: "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell and make a profit,' whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. … Instead you ought to say, 'If the Lord wills, we will live and do this and that.' " James 4:13-15

The writer of my Bible's notes makes a startling statement about James 4:13-15:

"A clear characteristic of having an affair with worldliness is making plans without consulting God. Such action is boasting, that is a presumption that oneself, not God is in control of the circumstances of life" - Jon Mark Ruthven, study notes on James, New Spirit-Filled Life Bible, p. 1757.

As I see it, the problem is not with the making of plans. God is in favour of that. He dictated some pretty big plans for Noah's ark and the tabernacle. And Jesus, in an illustration about counting discipleship's cost pointed out the foolishness of the person who set about building a tower or going to war before planning and calculating how much it would cost (Luke 14:28-33). Our error is if we make those plans with the wrong attitude.

One wrong attitude James points out is that we think we control the future, when we don't at all. Some other erroneous presumptions on which we might base our plans:

• Life will continue on just as it always has - Isaiah 56:12.

• Trouble is far away - Amos 6:3.

• We have a long future ahead of us - Luke 12:19.

• There will always be another opportunity - Acts 24:25.

What then is the attitude we should have when we plan?

• Our passage suggests one: that we submit all our plans to the Lord ("… If the Lord wills…"). Practically that might mean we delay giving an answer when someone asks us to take on a new commitment in order to pray about it and perhaps get a scripture promise or some affirmation that this is indeed what God wants us to do.

Jesus, in Matthew 24, gives more pointers on the attitude we need as we plan for the future.

• We're to live with an awareness that He could return at any time. That is, we view all our plans through the lens of Jesus' imminent return (Matthew 24:44). Of course we know that there's a right and a wrong way to do that (In 2 Thessalonians, Paul encourages the people to keep working. Bible scholars believe they had stopped  because they thought the Day of the Lord had already come - 2 Thessalonians 3:10-11).

• We carry on being faithful in our current assignments (Matthew 24:45-46). And I assume that includes being faithful in planning ahead when that is necessary (in faith, trusting God to interrupt us, change our direction, and convict us if our planning again takes a presumptuous turn).

PRAYER:  Dear God, I know I've made plans without consulting You, but never thought of that as having an affair with worldliness. I'm sorry! Please help me to remember to bring all my plans to You. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Is it ever okay to boast?

St. Paul - By Rembrandt

TODAY'S SPECIAL: 2 Corinthians 11:16-33

TO CHEW ON: "What I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as it were, foolishly, in this confidence of boasting." 2 Corinthians 11:17

The background to our reading today is that false apostles have infiltrated the church in Corinth. They are challenging Paul's authority. Sensing that now not all of the Corinthians are confident in him, we see Paul's tone change from encouraging to exasperated.

Paul's very human feelings come through as he sets out to convince them that he loves them and is an authentic apostle.  As he considers what he is about to do (boast), he admits that this is not godly behavior - 2 Corinthians 11:17. His hurt feelings come through in sarcasm - 2 Corinthians 11:18,19. He points out the irony of the situation as they are being won over by those who treat them badly, the kind of treatment he would never give them - 2 Corinthians 11:20,21.

I like how the IVP NT Commentary explains Paul's behavior in this passage:

"In this matter of boasting Paul does not want to be taken as talking as the Lord would. The phrase is literally "according to the Lord" (kata kyrion). … The bragging Paul is about to engage in is not something the Lord would approve of; hence he does not presume to speak ex cathedra (as an apostle). Boasting of this sort is not the way of the Lord but rather the way of the world (v. 18). The Greek is literally "according to the flesh" (kata sarka)—a favorite phrase of Paul's (five times in 2 Corinthians). Typically it denotes operating the way the world does or being driven by human standards (compare 2 Corinthians 1:17; 5:16; 10:2, 3). When it comes to human pride, the way of the world is to boast in personal accomplishments. Many brag in this fashion, so Paul will too (2 Corinthians 11:18)."

The temptation to boast is still with us. If anything it's stronger than ever. So, is it okay for us to boast, since Paul did it?

Rather than taking Paul's lapse here as permission for us to do a little boasting of our own from time to time (for whatever reason), I prefer to see it as a caution of how even the most spiritual of us can fall into this kata sarka way of operating. Boasting is something the Bible warns us about in more than one place: Proverbs 25:6,7; 26:27; 27:2; Romans 12:3.

Rather than boast, let's trust: "Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up" James 4:10.

PRAYER: Dear God, the temptation to operate in the flesh comes in many forms. Please help me to resist the temptation to boast when it feels urgent and like the most expedient thing to do. Amen.

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Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Are you sanctimonious?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Luke 18:9-30

TO CHEW ON: "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men — extortioners, unjust, adulterers or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess." Luke 18:11,12

Who of us has not felt slightly put off when people use prayer for other purposes than simple communication with God — to inform about a situation, perhaps, or give a little theological instruction? In Jesus' story the Pharisee uses it to point out his own good points. We'd say his prayer was sanctimonious.

Sanctimony (assumed or outward sanctity; a show of outward holiness, devoutness, moral superiority; exaggerated gravity or solemnity) is a child of pride. We see it in evidence in various places in the Bible. It came out:

- When the people made a show of religious fasting while at the same time they were mean, selfish, unjust and unfair (Isaiah 58:1-5).

- When the priests in Isaiah's time separated themselves from the people in a holier-than-thou way (Isaiah 65:1-5).

- When the guilty put on airs of innocence when confronted with their sin (Jeremiah 2:35).

- When the religious leaders of Jesus' time prayed publicly in synagogues and on street corners with a view to impressing passersby (Matthew 6:5).

We're probably most tempted to be sanctimonious when we're around other Christians — people who will be impressed by the number of missionaries we support, or the number of times we've read through the Bible. Though it is legitimate to share such details to "spur one another on toward love and good deeds." (Hebrews 10:24), Jesus put the kibosh on any such display or boasting meant to impress others. Groom yourselves as usual when you fast, He said. Go into a private place to pray for "your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."

Sanctimonious words start with sanctimonious thoughts. Asking oneself questions like those found in the little tract "Traits of the Self Life" works as a way to detect the seeds of self-righteous boasting. Ask:

"Am I ever conscious of:
- A secret spirit of pride — an exalted feeling, in view of my success or position; because of my good training and appearance; because of my natural gifts and abilities? An important, independent spirit? Stiffness and preciseness?
- Love of human praise; a secret fondness to be noticed; love of supremacy, drawing attention to self in conversation; a swelling out of self when I have had a free time in speaking or praying?"

-- "Traits of the Self Life" published by the Western Tract Mission."

Such tendencies left unconfessed and unchecked will lead eventually to the stinky little actions, words, even prayers of self-righteousness and self-exaltation that Jesus so detested.

PRAYER: Dear Holy Spirit, please show me any tendencies toward self-righteous pride in my thoughts and actions. I want my life with You to be completely genuine and uncontaminated with the desire to impress others. Amen.

MORE: The real issue: Who or what are we trusting in?

In a sermon on this passage John Piper uncovers, in our tendency to boast and appear self-righteousness, an even deeper issue of the heart: who or what we're trusting in to save us. He  says:

He (the Pharisee) is not presented as a legalist—one who tries to earn his salvation. That is not the issue. One thing is the issue: This man was morally upright. He was religiously devout. He believed God had made him so. He gave thanks for it. And that is what he looked to and trusted in for his righteousness before God—for his justification. And he was dead wrong.


And so are so many people today, who are turning away from the doctrine of justification by faith alone on the basis of Christ alone. What Jesus wants us to see here is that how righteous you are, or how moral you are or how religious you are or whether God has produced that in you or you have produced that in yourself—that is not the basis of your justification before God. That is not how you are accepted and declared righteous in God’s law court.

The issue is: Are you looking totally away from yourself? When you see yourself standing before the holy Judge, and you know that to escape condemnation you must be found righteous in this all-knowing, infinitely-just court, what are you going to look to and trust in? I am pleading with you on behalf of Jesus this morning that for your justification you not look at or trust in what God has worked in you. But that you look at and trust in Christ alone and all that God is for you in him. By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org.

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