James 4:13-17 tells us about prideful planning. James has been discussing how we sometimes try to make ourselves God. We try to play God. What a foolish thing to do! But, we do it.
We try to play God when we fight and quarrel with others. This was James’ point in 4:1-10. Sometimes, when we don’t get what we want, we are angered. We think we deserve to have whatever that thing. We demand to have it. We act as though we were a king. We act as though we deserve to get whatever we want. God is the only One Who deserves to get whatever He wants. He is the only One Who can demand what He wants. You and I are not God. We cannot make those kinds of demands. When we find ourselves fighting with others, we need to realize how foolish we are being. We need to recognize how we are trying to play God. We need to humble ourselves. That’s what James says in verse 7: “Submit therefore to God.”
We try to play God when we judge others or “speak against” them. This was James’ point in 4:11-12. When we self-righteously judge others, slander others, gossip about others, or call people names, we are exalting ourselves above God’s law. We are acting as though we are over the law – as though the law were our tool to use on others. James goes further. He says, “Look. There is only one Lawgiver. You aren’t it!” When we find ourselves speaking against others, we need to recognize that we are trying to play God. We need to humble ourselves.
We try to play God when we make plans without recognizing God’s sovereignty. James 4:13-17 shows us two ways of making plans. There is the evil way of planning and the righteous way of planning. We could describe them as the proud way of planning and humble way of planning. The evil or pride may not be seen in the wording of our plans. Verse 13 tells us the scenario of a business man making plans. There is nothing sinful in the way that he declares his plans. Verse 14 tells us what the issue is. The man making the statements in verse 13 had the prideful attitude described in verse 14. The man made the plans without remembering that he doesn’t know the future and that his life is short. Verse 16 says that this type of planning is arrogant and evil. Do you sometimes make plans without remembering you don’t know the future and your life is a vapor? We will talk about that more in a minute.
Geoff Thomas relates an example of prideful planning:
"I once baptized a converted Jew called Sam Rotman who is an outstanding pianist. He was studying in the Julliard School of Music in New York. One day some friends came to visit him and they went together to the recording of a TV chat-show programme with a well-known presenter. One of the guests on the show was a man called Rodale whom I had heard about. He was the editor of a vitamin and health food magazine called "Prevention" which my parents-in-law took and kept. It was full of suggestions about overcoming sickness, living longer, and the family consulted it. Sam Rotman told me that Rodale looked a fit fifty year-old, and when he announced that he was in his seventies the audience applauded. "I am going to live until I am a hundred," he added. More applause. Then he moved along the couch for the next guest to be interviewed. He did not appear to take much interest in this person, bowing his head and looking at his feet, so that the audience began to titter. But the merriment soon stopped as he slumped to the floor. The cry went up for a doctor. The programme's recording ceased and the focus of attention was on Rodale. But he never got off the floor. He who was going to live until he was a hundred did not live another five minutes. He had died of a massive heart-attack. We are feeling so good about ourselves, so self-promotional and boastful, and then, as Milton says, "comes the blind Fury with th'abhorred shears and slits the thin spun life." The audience quietly left the TV studio and that programme was never shown." (I got this illustration from Josh Mack’s sermon at www.gracelehigh.org.)
Verse 15 tells us how we ought to plan. Here James describes the righteous way of planning, or the humble way of planning. The righteous man still makes plans, but he does so remembering the sovereignty of God. He conditions all of His plans by saying, “if the Lord wills.” Of course, we know that it is not so much the phrase that he uses which makes him humble and righteous. It is his attitude that is different.
Planning is a big item to consider. We make plans constantly. We make plans regarding how we will spend our time tomorrow, where we will go to college, what our job will be, what we will eat for our next meal, what friends we will have, what color the walls in our room will be painted, how many children we will have, what books we will read, what our clothes will look like, when and where we will go on vacation, etc.
Here is the question we must ask ourselves. Do I make plans pridefully or humbly? Do you make plans pridefully or humbly? How can you tell? Here are some ways to tell if your plans are made pridefully or humbly.
1. If you are prideful in your planning, you may get worried when it looks like your plans might not come to fruition.
A humble man says, “If the Lord wills.” He says this because (1) He wants God will to be done most of all. He has determined that what God wants is more important than what he wants. (2) He knows that all things are under God’s sovereign control. He knows nothing will happen unless God determines it will happen.
Let’s say a man plans to move to Arizona for a year and engage in business and make a profit. He does so proudly. He doesn’t think about what God wants. He doesn’t think about God’s sovereign control. He makes the plans as if his own desires are most important and also determinative. There is a good chance the man will start to worry if his boss starts talking with anther co-worker at the office more than he used to. He wonders to himself, “I wonder if my boss is changing his mind about me going. Perhaps my boss thinks this guy will do a better job in Arizona.” He may lay awake at night worrying about what will happen.
He may also worry if when he gets to Arizona, he gets no sales the first 2 weeks.
However, if his plans were made remembering God’s sovereignty and God’s pleasure, he won’t be worried. When his boss talks to his co-worker he will think to himself, “Maybe my boss would rather have my co-worker go to Arizona. If that is what God wants, that would be just fine. God has a good plan for me. He will do whatever it takes to make me like Christ. I know God is able to determine circumstances so that I am the one chosen for the job assignment. I will just wait patiently to see what God would like to do.”
Do you worry about whether your plans will come to fruition or not? Do you worry about your plans for the college you want to go to, the job you want to have, the relationship you want to have?
2. If you are prideful in your planning, you may get irritated when someone gets in the way of your plans.
Let’s say you are given the opportunity to plan an event with the youth group. You make all your plans regarding the games, the food, etc. If you make your plans humbly remember God’s pleasure and God’s ultimate control over all things, you won’t be irritated when someone doesn’t bring the materials you were counting on for the game. You may be disappointed, but not irritated, not angry. You know that God is in control. He knows the person didn’t bring the materials for the game. He knew he wouldn’t bring the materials while you were making the plans for the game. This is all part of His plan, and you remember that. You also recognize that as the Creator of the universe, what God wants is what is most important. You don’t throw a fit because your plan is not accomplished. You recognize that the plan God had before the foundation of the world is much more important. You are gentle in your response to the “slacker” who didn’t bring the materials. You lovingly try to help him (either by encouraging him if he is discouraged by his mistake or admonishing him, praying for him, and training him to be more faithful in the future).
This may happen when you are out with a group of friends, and you try to decide where you will go to eat. You talk with one friend considering all the possibilities. You determine (along with your friend) that they best choice of restaurant would be Wendy’s. They have the Double Bacon Cheeseburger and the Taco Salad. Then, “stupid little Joey” comes along and suggests that Taco Bell will be better. Sally jumps in with a hearty, “Yea!” If you have made the plan humbly, you will be calm. That doesn’t mean you won’t let Sally and Joey know that you don’t think the Taco Bell in West Lebanon (NH) is sanitary. But, you will speak gently and lovingly.
What plans have you made recently? Have you gotten irritated when something got in the way? Did you have plans to get something accomplished this week, that didn’t get accomplished?
3. If you are prideful in your planning, you may find that others are afraid to suggest to you another plan.
They may think you won’t budge in your plans. You won’t listen. They may be right. You may not budge because you think your plan is the best, or because you think you shouldn’t have to revise your plan because it is just plain too much work. You make your plans “as you will” rather than “if the Lord wills.” You decide what you want and then you do what you want. You make the plans as though you were king. When someone suggests a modification of your plan, you don’t even listen to it because you want to do what you want to do. You want to do what you set your heart on doing.
Do people avoid giving you advice, because they think you will get angry with them for even making a suggestion? Do people avoid giving you advice or offering a suggestion because they think you won’t even take the time to consider anything else? Do others avoid giving advice to you because they think you think it could only be “if Johnny wills?”
4. If you are prideful in your planning, you probably won’t like it when people suggest that you should pray about things first.
Perhaps you had your heart set on something and you found yourself annoyed when someone said, “Well, maybe we should pray about this.” Most likely this means you made the plans with the utmost confidence in your own wisdom and with your own desires as the primary motivation.
Why wouldn’t you want to pray? You will be admitting that you need God’s help. You will be admitting that your plans may not be the best choice. You will be submitting your desires to Him.
5. If you are prideful in your planning, you won’t take the time to consider the biblical principles that may apply to your situation.
Sometimes people choose to take part in seemingly “good” things, but their plans aren’t made “if the Lord wills.” They may skip church week after week to give blood so that others are cared for physically. They think it is obvious that their plans are “righteous” yet have they truly considered what the Lord’s will is? Are they truly concerned with doing what God wants them to do?
Some people will go into debt to help others financially. Some people will break commitments made to one person because their “heart of compassion” drove them to help someone else in need.
I mentioned this before; let me go back to it again. Do you get irritated when someone wants to help you think through more biblical principles that may apply to the decision you have to make? Do you act as though it would be absurd to think it through any more than you already have? Perhaps you offer a reason such as, “Well, I have already prayed about it and thought it through. There is never going to be a plan that will satisfy everybody.”
6. If you are prideful in your planning, you may make fun of others that fail in their plans.
This will probably be accompanied by your own boastful statements concerning your own “incredible” plans. Do you think of yourself as a great planner? Do you think of yourself as the guy or girl who “can get things done”?
Do you find yourself saying, “See, I told you so! What did I say? Didn’t I say that was going to happen?” Do you think of yourself as the “all-wise planner?”
Conclusion
Have you found yourself to be one who plays God when it comes to planning? We all do at times. You need to ask God’s forgiveness admitting your arrogance.
What can we do to develop the habit of planning humbly? (1) Make a list of the decisions that you need to make, and pray through each one of them on a daily basis. (2) Make it a habit to get godly counsel from others when making a decision. (3) Read and apply God’s Word as a daily habit.
