Are You Building Up Your Credit?

“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 and 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 and brag. All such boasting is evil. Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” James 4:13-17 NIV

Sometimes we talk about things that we’re going to do in the future. We even brag about all the good we will do. Sadly, I know I’ve fallen into this trap. I have caught myself thinking, “Man, that person isn’t even responding to God. What are they doing with their lives? I already at least kind of know what He’s going to do with me. He’s go to…[and the mental list starts].”
      We hypocritically judge people for not doing anything for God. We mistake our vision and plans for deeds done.
      It’s not bad to have vision or make plans, but what James is pointing out is that we rely on having a future to ensure that we do good instead of doing good while we have the time to do so. He’s really just saying, “Hey don’t boast about what you’re going to do, boast about (or be proud of) what you’ve done because you can die in the next moment and what you had planned won’t be what matters. Only what you’ve done will.”
      Only what’s been done will be to our credit. If we rely on a future that never happens, we’ll get to God and He’ll say, you didn’t do any of the work I gave you. You can come up with a ton of excuses (I was waiting for you to give me the big project, I thought about ways to do it, etc.), but it won’t get you anywhere. It’s like a student expecting a teacher to give them credit for homework they thought about doing (or maybe they looked at the problems and figured them out but never wrote the answers down) and expecting to get credit for it so they can pass the class.
      We need to produce results with God.
      When God gives me a peek into His plan, I can get too focused on the result and not look at the process. I almost grow content in just knowing that that’s what will happen. For example, I used to cry and pray for the salvation of one of the people I know. One day God comforted me and told me that that person would be saved. Unfortunately, after that, I grew complacent. I pretty much stopped praying hard or working toward it.
      I think many of us have areas like this. God shows us a plan for our lives (or that of someone else), and we let it comfort us a little too much. Yes, it is God’s plan for it to happen, but we are also meant to play a role in that (whether just by prayer or works, or both) and we’ve been snoozing. We’re not helping to do our part in that promise.
      Tomorrow isn’t ensured. Our days are numbered. While we’ve been sitting by proud of God’s plan for us, life has continued to move but we’ve stopped. Here’s the wake up call for us. Get moving in that promise. Keep praying. Work toward it. If it’s for someone’s salvation (or re-dedication to God), work on your relationship with that person so that you’ll have more influence in their lives and they have more opportunities to see God’s character through you.
      If it’s for something God has told you He will do with you (write a book, be a speaker, start a group, etc.), then start looking up the process to get there. Think of what gifts or character qualities you’ll need to enhance, and start praying about and working on them. Find a mentor in that area. Know what it will take on your part to get there.
      I think too often we forget that there are at least two people at work in God’s plan. We always seem to remember that He has a role to play, but we forget that we have one as well. We need to stop slacking off and do our part, otherwise, God will find a partner who will and we’ll get no credit for it.
      Don’t wait for a “better” time to do good deeds (like when you have more money, more time, more patience, etc.). Do good things NOW.