Face the Mirror - James 4:13-17 (8.8.21)
Time is an hourglass with the top half hidden.
ICE BREAKER: Talk about a time when you made big plans but then had them all fall apart. What happened?
Read: James 4:13-14
Are you a planner, or more of a go-with-the-flow kind of person?
What are some plans you have for the future?
How long do you expect to live? Put another way: how much time do you think you have to accomplish your plans? What do you base that on?
What should be our approach to making plans, then? Should we not plan for the future? What is James proposing here?
Read: James 4:15-16
Verse fifteen seems to be about perspective. What do you think James is advocating with his phrase, “if it is the Lord’s will”?
What is the connection between verses fifteen and sixteen?
On Sunday Frank said, “Hold your plans loose, but hold your God close.” React to that statement.
Read: James 4:17
This verse is about sins of omission. What is something good God is calling you to do? Are you resistant to that? Why?
Prayer: Pray this week’s memory verse, James 4:17. Ask God to foster courage in your life so you will do what He asks of you.