Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.

James 4

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. James 4:13-16

This morning, until I start a new Bible study, I continue using devotionals from John Piper.  Today, the post focuses on pride, closely related to arrogance and its antonym - humility. These topics strike a chord in my life as I have struggled with pride and arrogance as sin...I have posted about these sins in this blog often as I have on other blogs. One glance at the tag cloud of this blog reveals - if my study is indicative of God's true intent for believers reading the Word - that God recognizes the pervasive nature of these sins and He of course has something to say about them - much to say in fact. John Piper, I believe, is correct (as are C.S. Lewis and others referenced in today's devotional) in stating in today's devotion that pride and arrogance exist as core obstacles to faith.  Piper refers to "three categories of self-reliance - wisdom, power, and riches — they form a powerful inducement toward the ultimate form of pride; namely, atheism."  Piper goes on to state that "[u]ltimately, the proud must persuade themselves that there is no God. One reason for this is that God’s reality is overwhelmingly intrusive in all the details of life. Pride cannot tolerate the intimate involvement of God in running the universe, let alone the detailed, ordinary affairs of life."  Piper encourages us to battle "this arrogance...[by] yield[ing] to the sovereignty of God in all the details of life, and rest in his infallible promises to show himself mighty on our behalf."  Piper gives us several scripture references to emphasize God's sovereignty and infallible promises:

• 2 Chronicles 16:9 - God "give[s] strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him."
• Psalm 23:6 - "goodness and mercy" await all those who follow the Lord
  
• Isaiah 64:4 - God "acts for those who wait for him."
• Hebrews 13:21 - God equips us to do His will

I pray of course that I can rest in God's sovereignty and infallible promises.

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My Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are an incredible God who loves me and who has helped illuminate sin in my life, and You are full of grace and patience as I work out my faith.  Thank You Jesus for Your grace and that You never leave or forsake me.  I am not deserving of the blessings You pour out for me.  My worry persists, among other sins.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me. Help me grow in my faith. Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength. Please heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.