I Do

DEVOTION
JAMES
I DO
James 4:13-17
13 Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 16 As it is, you boast and brag. All such boasting is evil. 17 Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.
NIV
If there is one thing I know for sure, I do not make a move without God. In fact I preach this truth a lot. I think way to many of my brothers and sisters in Christ spent way too much of their life too close to the ways of the world in this matter, talking about their investments, their savings, their stock pile of money for their retirement. I cannot think of anything more bizarre then saying I trust in God, and then storing up money for tomorrow. I think I have coined the phrase “dancing with the Devil”. I simply cannot conceive of praising God with my mouth but giving the devil my money. As long as Satan lines my pockets with Gold everything is alright, is so out of the will of God. I am not opposed to rich people, God can bless whoever he wants with as much as he wants. I am opposed to Christians believing it is alright to store up money for their own personal security. I cannot understand how so many can be so deceived by this style of living. Or maybe I am just so wrong about this. Maybe it is the will of God to save and store money for my later years. What later years? I should have died when I was 57. Only by the grace of God have I had these more years. In fact, it only by the grace of God I have even had any years. I certainly do not desire to be like the rich fool who built bigger barns. I do wonder if I would think any different if I did have a lot of money. I do not think so. The word is so clear on this issue. I certainly cannot boast of how I have invested in some stock or made a killing in the market. I cannot boast about anything other than how God has provided all I have by his own hand, and not by mine. I know I must trust him with all my being. I know I cannot trust myself. The good I ought to do is to give God the credit for everything he has done for me, in me and through me. This I do.