Beyond the Weekend

January 17 | Novelty

January 17, 2019

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

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.   James 4:14

Read: James 4:13-16

Listen: James 4

TODAY’S MESSAGE

The author of Ecclesiastes is a wealthy, wise king. He is the center of his universe. An ancient king didn’t have to answer to anyone. He had the best food, the best drink and the best life could offer. The social calendar revolved around his parties. Other countries came offering gifts and making requests. But in the midst of all this splendor life starts to get boring.  There is nothing new.  This lack of novelty causes the author to realize life doesn’t have meaning without God. This realization points to a need for humility.

James, the brother of Jesus, understood the need for humility. He writes that we can’t even guarantee what we will do tomorrow. Only God knows what will happen. We all know this to be true, though we tend not to acknowledge it. We can plan on going to work in the morning, but an accident, sick child or power outage might keep that from happening. That doesn’t even take into account the mist-like quality of life that we are alive today and might not be tomorrow.

We aren’t the center of the universe. We aren’t even the center of our own life. Life doesn’t revolve around us and isn’t dependent upon us. It should humble us when we confront this reality. It should re-adjust our priorities. It should cause us to recognize, as the author of Ecclesiastes does, that life is about a relationship with God and following him.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Watch the video clip below as Pastor Manion explains our need for humility. Then acknowledge before God that you are not the center of the universe. Ask him to help you see when you start acting like you are and empower you to put your trust in him at those times.


Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.

You Might Also Like