Devotionals

We Are Finite

by Jenor Aguilar
04/17/20
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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.” 14 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 (James 4:13-14).

COVID-19 teaches us how to kneel before God. Before the pandemic, people are so happy. They spent their vacation abroad, enjoyed with their regular jobs and successful businesses, hang out at parties with their friends, gone to the malls every week without any restrictions, and making plans week after week. However, regular time with God was not a priority within the cycle of their activities. So, in this chapter, James points out the impediments of our plans and prayers.

James speaks on “pleasures” which is outside the will of God. Meaning, the power of the flesh remains the dominant force of their desires. They understood that friendship with the world and being with God at the same time was not a hindrance to their prayers. Their principles and practices in life contradicted the teaching of scriptures. They became proud and forget to acknowledge the authority of God.

For example, they judge their fellow brethren and used to suppress the truth in unrighteousness. This is a crooked reputation of being a disciple of Christ. Where is the fruit of the Holy Spirit though? But you claimed a believer of Jesus because you go to church and pray. This type of believer choked the lies and deception of the world.

We cannot go beyond the knowledge of God. We are finite human beings and have been created for His pleasures. God knows everything about you. We plan, but God directs our steps. We don’t know what happens tomorrow. We are happy today, but not certain later. The truth about our limitations is God teaching us to submit to His will. Just like, the true success that we have in life is not defined by our own merits, but by obedience to God's perfect will.

Therefore, if you're a follower of Jesus and you wanted to get successful in your prayer life, career, business, family, studies, plans, struggle against sin and temptation. You need to humble yourselves before God, submit to His authority, and do His will, not yours!