We’ve been working our way through the Book of James in our series entitled, “We Walk in Wisdom”.  This Sunday, we’ll be looking at James 4:13-17 on “Wisdom for Humility”.  This passage, at first glance, seems to be nitpicking.  It seems like James takes issue with the way that we announce our plans.  That interpretation would even have an appearance of truth since James emphasizes the power of speech and the tongue.  But if we slow down, we see that James is in fact taking aim at something far more foundational in our lives.  He’s taking aim at a idolatry that was prevalent in his day and is almost ubiquitous in American culture: life control

Life control is at the root of so many American axioms.  “You can be whatever you want to be.”  “You can do anything if you put your mind to it.”  “If you work hard enough, you can make yourself to be a success.”  That’s the American dream, a life that is the product of your determination and grit.  And really, that’s just another way of saying that you’re in control of your life.  Let’s be honest, we all want things to work out the way that we plan for them to go.  We want to be in control.  But James suggests that we take a closer look at what our craving for control tells us about our hearts.

This Sunday, we will hopefully be looking closely at our plans, our desire for control, and how the Gospel changes the way we approach the first two.  See you then. – Frank Wang