Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:15)
Expanded Passage: James 4:15
“I just have a hard time making deadlines. I’m such a P.” This was overheard from a church volunteer who notoriously missed meetings or arrived unprepared. A church attender said, “As a 1, I’m a perfectionist, so I’m sorry to be so critical. It’s just my nature.” Personality assessments are helpful to us. Knowing our personality type can be a helpful way to set boundaries, but can also be used as an excuse to not follow through on commitments or to be unkind.
“Lord willing and the creek don’t rise” is a rustic way of saying that you’ll attend unless some obstacle prevents it. But it can also be used as an excuse. It is easy for us to look for obstacles to stop us from doing what we have committed to do. But James advised us to make commitments to the will of God, and then to do whatever it takes to live within his will. Romans tells us that God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will can be found by giving ourselves over to him as an act of worship.
We may see our personalities, talents, and skills as excuses to avoid commitment, but it is wise to see them as gifts God has given us. God can stretch us outside of our comfort zone and grow our capacity to the size of his will.
Allow God to grow you beyond your comfort zone.
Priscilla Hammond is an ordained pastor and associate professor in the Benson School of Business at Southern Wesleyan University (SC).
© 2024 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
