August 26, 2022 8:00 pm
In 2000, an upstart company operating on a movie-rental-by-mail system offered to sell their company for $50 million to Blockbuster—the home movies and video game rentals king at that time. Netflix had roughly 300,000 subscribers, while Blockbuster had millions and millions of them. Blockbuster passed on the opportunity to purchase their little competitor. The result? Today Netflix has more than 180 million subscribers and is worth nearly $200 billion. As for Blockbuster, well . . . it went bust. None of us can predict the future.
We’re tempted to believe that we’re in control of our lives and that our plans for the future will succeed. But James says, “You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (4:14). Life is brief, quick, and more fragile than we often realize. Planning is necessary, but the sin of presumption is in the assumption that we’re in control. That’s why James warns us not to “boast in [our] arrogant schemes,” for “all such boasting is evil” (v. 16).
The way to avoid this sinful practice is through grateful participation with God. Gratitude reminds us that He’s the source of every “good and perfect gift” (1:17). Then when we come to God, we ask Him not to simply bless our present and future plans but to help us join Him in what He’s doing. This is what it means to pray, “If it is the Lord’s will” (4:15).
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Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.
Our devotional today titled Plans and Providence was written by Glenn Pacchium. In 2000, an upstart company operating on a movie rental by mail system offered to sell their company for $50 million to Blockbuster, the home movies and video game rentals king at the time. Netflix had roughly 300,000 subscribers while Blockbuster had millions and millions of them. Blockbuster passed on the opportunity to purchase their little competitor. The result? Today, Netflix has more than 180 million subscribers and is worth nearly $200 billion.
As for Blockbuster, well, it went bust. None of us can predict the future. We're tempted to believe that we're in control of our lives and that our plans for the future will succeed. But James 4.14 says, You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Life is brief, quick and more fragile than we realize. Planning is necessary, but the sin of presumption is the assumption that we're in control. That's why James warns us not to boast in our arrogant schemes, for all such boasting is evil. The way to avoid this sinful practice is through grateful participation with God. Gratitude reminds us that he's the source of every good and perfect gift. Then when we come to God, we ask him not simply to bless our present and future plans, but to help us join him in what he's doing. This is what it means to pray if it is the Lord's will.
Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from James chapter 4 verses 13 through 17. 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 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. Now let's pray. Dear Jesus, we lay down our plans, fears and longings to you. We want to participate with you and not be presumptuous or even passive. Would you help us to put our trust in you because we know that you will never fail. And it's in Jesus' name that we pray. Amen. Today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-03-05 07:10:26 / 2023-03-05 07:11:53 / 1
