James 4:13-17 · 1:17pm Mar 30th, 2020
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."
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow.
What is your life?
You are a mist that appears for a little while then vanishes.
Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."
As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them.
James 4:13-17
These verses here mean that we shouldn't be thinking of ourselves as controllers of our own futures and destinies. Rather, we should look to God and trust in Him to plan our futures and destinies for us. It is okay to make our own schedules and plans, but we shouldn't be doing it to the point of where we think that we're the ones in control and that we're above others, because in reality...we aren't.
I suppose we can shut down fossil fueling and replace with renewable power such as solar or wind power, and we can plant as many trees as we can possibly can.
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The biggest problem is that people don't want solar/wind power because: no sun = no electricity at night. Or no wind = no electricity = boring hours in the house.
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What about biofuels? They're cheap, they're clean and they're easy to produce power compare to fossil fuels.
Not sure how I feel about this one. On one hand, I sort of get it, at the same time it is not at all right to think everything is all just set in motion by God's hand. Do not go jumping of bridges and think that if it is not your time something will somehow save you. Just don't jump off that bridge. We have control over our own lives, God may guide us with his hand here and there, I certainly think he has guided me in certain directions, let me spend time more time with my father when he needed it during his final days of life, even taking away his life in hindsight seems like it was the right thing to do; but God wants to see what WE will do. If he had complete control, we would never sin or start war. he can hold the wheel and sometimes does, but he wants to see what we will do on our own. If we had no choice, how could he tell what kind of people we are? How would we get our chance to prove ourselves righteous or evil? It is choice, this blessing and curse that allows us to be who we are, followers of God's path, or those who stray and go their own path. We always have choice, if we didn't, then what is the point of anything?
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I think you’re missing the point here.
The point the verse is trying to make is that it’s okay for us to plan ahead, coming up with schedules and all that kind of stuff. But, we shouldn’t be doing it to the point of where we would think of ourselves as gods and that we’re above others. We should let God lend his hand and collaborate with us, think about what He would want and let Him help us determine our paths and destinies.
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I'm not saying we should play God, I'm just saying we want humans to survive, and let God do his part.
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well in that light I am more inclined to agree