The Lord’s Will

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - If - James 4:13-16 - The Lord's Will- Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – If – James 4:13-16 – The Lord’s Will- Growing As Disciples

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. James 4:13-16 (NIV)

Now Listen

Listen, now that’s one of the more important words that you will ever hear. Why is that? You will hear many voices in life. There will be a voice that says stop while another voice says start. Another voice will say go as one more says stay. You will hear a voice suggesting that you turn left while turning right looks equally inviting. You will hear yes and no. You will be faced with a hundred different directions you could go. You will have the choice of a thousand different things that you could do. How will I ever know which way to go? How will I ever know for sure what I should do? Those are two very good questions. 

How have you decided which way you should go? How have you determined what you should do? How I have decided which way I should go and what I should do in the past is no basis for making a good decision in the future. Why is that? I have made a lot of mistakes. Quite frequently I have made the wrong choices and followed a faulty plan. I have gone left when right would have been far better. I have stayed when I should have gone. I have said yes when no would have been far wiser. Who did you listen to when you made all these choices? Who gave you guidance? What wisdom did you seek? What counsel did you follow? Those are all good questions. Unfortunately I don’t have any good answers. You must have an answer. My answer is the problem. I didn’t listen to anyone when I made my decisions. I had no guidance. I received no wisdom. I sought no one’s counsel. What did you do? I listened to myself. I listened to my own counsel. I followed my own wisdom. I set my own goals and followed my own plan. That is a problem. Yes, I know.

Your past has not gone to waste. You have been taught valuable lessons. What have you learned? I have learned to listen. I have learned to ask for wisdom. I have learned to seek counsel. I have learned to receive guidance. I have learned to listen and rely on one voice that will give me wisdom, counsel and guidance. What voice is that? I have learned to listen to your voice. I have learned to rely on you. So now, you will listen to me? Yes Lord, I will listen to you. That will be very good.

Lord, no longer will I go charging forward with my own pride filled plan of what I think I will do and accomplish. Instead I will attentively listen to you. I will seek you and your will for my life. I will go where you guide me. I will do all that you ask of me. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

If – James 4-13-16 – The Lords Will – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

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By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com

If It Is The Lord’s Will

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide - Knowing God - James 4:13-17- It It Is The Lord's Will - Growing As Disciples

Discipleship Devotional Study Guide – Knowing God – James 4:13-17- It It Is The Lord’s Will – Growing As Disciples

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. James 4:13-16 (NIV)

Making Plans

What’s your plan? What would you like to do with your life? What would you like your life to accomplish in the short time that you have to live it? When you look back over your life what would have to happen for you to know that your life was well spent? I’m wondering if those are good or trick questions. Why would you say that? There is no guarantee that my plan is your plan. There is the very real possibility that what I might like to do might lead me to misspend my life. What I might want to accomplish might be quite different from what you want to do in and through my life. I’m not sure if I have all the knowledge and wisdom that I would need to decide how to spend my life. Are you saying that you can’t answer these questions? I could answer them. I’m not sure that I can answer them correctly. In fact I have had a history of answering them incorrectly. What do you mean by that? I have made plenty of plans that did not have you in them. I have made plans based on pleasure. I have made plans based on power. I have made plans based on prestige. All of these plans have not ended well. All of these plans have left me unsatisfied, unhappy and unfulfilled. I have known that I have been doing the wrong things for all the wrong reasons.

What do you want? I want to ask you some questions. Go ahead I’m listening. What’s your plan? What do you want to do with my life? What do you want to accomplish in my life in the short time that I have to live it? When we look back over my life together what would have to happen for us to know that my life was well spent? You have turned the table on me. That’s right. Why have you done that? What are you saying to me? I want to know you. I want to know and do your will. I have no interest in making plans without you. I have done enough of that already. I have wasted time and energy and resources doing what wasn’t in your plans for me to do. I want to go where you guide me. I want to do what you ask of me. I want to accomplish the work that you have given me to do for you. I want to bear fruit for your kingdom. I want to bring glory to your name. That is the only way that I will ever know that my life was well spent. So, I’m asking you to use my life for your purposes and according to your plan. That is what I want. That is what you want. That is what we want. Yes, it is.

Lord, I have made plans without seeking to know your will. I have chased after priorities other than knowing you and doing your will. How foolish have I been? Help me now to know you and do your will. Use my life for your purposes and according to your plans. Amen

For today’s complete 4 page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide click here:

Knowing God – James 4-13-16 – Making Plans – 4 Page Discipleship Devotional Study Guide

Please consider sharing these devotionals with others through the social media you use.

Individual users may save the Discipleship Devotional Study Guide to their desktop for private use. All the blanks in the study guides are fields that allow typed responses. To use the fields on the study guide you may need to open the guide with a free version of adobe reader.

By Jon Ulrich © All rights reserved                   Copying not permitted                      www.GrowingAsDisciples.com