James 4:13-16—Boasting

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and browse around here such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.  James 4:13-16

Our generation is probably the most calendar- and clock-driven generation to ever exist on the planet—and things don’t look like they’re changing any time soon. Because of swiss apotheke viagra generika this, I wonder how James would write this portion of his letter if he were alive right now.

Whenever I leave the house I think about this section of James as I tell my cats when I’ll be back—not that they can tell time, mind you. “I’ll be home in two or three hours, by the grace of God,” I say to their whiskery stares, adding something like, “And you know how gracious He’s been; He’s not about to change now!” I say it this way because I believe that it is His will for me to return safely home; He’s been so good about protecting me in potentially disastrous situations in the past, and I actively trust Him to continue.

But James wasn’t writing about that. The key to understanding his thought process concerning these four verses is in verse sixteen: “But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.” He was not directing believers to avoid making advance plans; he was simply letting them know that he was being knocked over by the stench of the fleshly, boastful arrogance oozing from their conversations about those agendas.

Have you ever found yourself in a “testimony competition”? You know—the kind where one person shares what God did, and then another pipes up with a “Well, yeah; but get this!” and proceeds to outdo their neighbor’s story of blessing? It can go on and on without anyone realizing they just dismissed someone’s encounter with God as trivial. Something which on the surface appears to be a glorious conversation turns into vying for bragging rights—about God, of all things!! When that competitive nature kicks in, watch out! Wonderful testimonies can quickly deteriorate into a showy “flesh-fest”.

I’m not saying don’t share your testimonies—absolutely not! What I am saying is this: before you share, savor your neighbor’s blessing from God. The Lord came through for them. That’s worth valuing! And then check your heart. Are you hoping to top them? Then hold your thought. A well-timed testimony is like apples of gold in settings of silver (see Proverbs 25:11); on the other hand, a testimony shared to pump up your “spiritual resume” is the muziekvankoi.nl viagra same as seeking your own glory—which really isn’t glory at all (see Proverbs 25:27).

This kind of testimony competition is similar to the situation to which James was referring; however, instead of boasting about past victories, these folks were bragging about their future.

James gave his readers an example of their arrogant boasting when he said, “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.’” He didn’t mean for them to stop traveling, to quit doing business, or to cease making a profit; nothing is wrong with those things. What James sought to expose was this: They were showing off. They were focusing on what big shots they were.

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.  Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”

I do not believe for a second that James was instructing believers to be morbid about their life-expectancy, either. I do believe, however, that his aim was to jolt them out of their habitual boasting with the stark reality of the unpredictability of life. He intended to refocus their sights—off of their self-perceived awesomeness and on to finding out what God had to say about things. Instead of boasting, he was saying, ask the Lord what His will for you is.

But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.

Whether it’s about your plans, your abilities, your status, or anything else you may use to one-up others, James pegged it all as arrogant boasting. All such boasting is evil.

Be very aware of your motives. Let the Holy Spirit shine a light on what’s rolling around on the inside of you when you start to get competitive while talking with others. Ask Him for help with your part of the conversation—what you should share, when you should share it, and with whom you should share it. He will surely train you in the fine art of listening to Him when conversing with others, and He will help you to stay on top of those unruly motives.

Dorothy

It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glory to search out one’s own glory. Proverbs 25:27

He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him. John 7:18