3 Day Devotional: I've Got This - Day 3

Scripture

“As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”
James 4:16-17 (ESV)  

Devotional Reflection
James concludes by shining a light on the reality of the situation. What we often call confidence, ambition, or self-reliance can sometimes be something much deeper. James calls it arrogance. He calls it boasting. He calls it evil.

Why such strong language?

Because plans made without recognizing God assume authority that belongs to Him alone. They place us at the center when Christ should be the center. They treat tomorrow as though it belongs to us when it belongs to God.

Then James draws a conclusion: "So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin." Now that we know tomorrow is not ours, now that we understand our dependence on God, and now that we have been shown the proper posture of submission, we are responsible to respond.

This illumination of sin is itself a gift of grace. God exposes our sin not to shame us but to save us. It is difficult to clean something we cannot see. Every one of us has lived at some point as though we were in charge. Every one of us has said with our words or our actions, "I've got this."

But the gospel reminds us that we don't have to have it all under control because Jesus has got this. Where we failed, Christ succeeded. Where we rebelled, Christ obeyed. Where our sin deserved death, Christ died in our place. Therefore, hold every plan with an open hand and rest in His grace. The Christian life is not lived with clenched fists declaring, "I've got this." It is lived with open hands declaring, "If the Lord wills."

Reflection Questions
1. Where are you tempted to act as though your future depends entirely on you?
2. What known act of obedience have you been resisting or neglecting?
3. How can you demonstrate surrender to Christ in a practical way today?

Prayer
Gracious Father, thank You for exposing my sin and leading me to Jesus. Forgive me for trusting myself more than I trust You. Help me surrender my plans, ambitions, and future into Your hands. May I live with open-handed faith, resting in the finished work of Christ and finding peace in Your perfect will. Amen.