This is the eighth of 13 sessions looking at selected passages from the Book of James. Click here to read the introduction and for an overview.
Click here to see the seventh session.
Session 8
As much as the teen years may be about planning for the future, they’re also about the right now: the intensity of the moment, the thoughts of living forever, the lack of full understanding that current choices can have future consequences. It can be all too easy to think of putting off the “important” stuff until later, thinking there always will be time to work things out.
That’s not necessarily the case. This lesson is not a scare tactic about young people who die before their prime or a specific story based on: “If I only I knew back then what I know now.” Rather, it’s a simple reminder that no matter how old we are, no matter how long we live, our time on this earth is really quite short. The sooner we realize that, the better off that we are.
Jesus, however, offers us that clarifying beam; He gives us an opportunity to turn our fleeting lives into something lasting. That begins, however, with a new understanding of His plans for us, His willingness to guide us, His emphasis on the now, as well as the later. All we need do is ask His to help us see. Living our lives to the fullest doesn’t necessarily mean taking advantage of every opportunity. It means being strategic to walk in the places we’re called and leaving the rest alone. Too much of our own thinking and planning can add up to a cloudy mess; but asking for divine direction, remembering God has a plan and doing our best not to put off the good He’s already called us to can clear things up as quickly as a patch of fog can turn to a clear, blue sky.
What the Word Says:
“What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (
How It Applies:
It’s so easy to think we’ve got all the time in the word, but our lives are actually quite brief, like a fog that appears then is gone. Without the light of God’s focus, our fleeting days can be cloudy messes. His guidance and our quick obedience, however, can lead to a lasting impact.
Questions for Group Discussion:
• What are the ingredients to a life that extends beyond our days on earth?
• How do you make decisions about major life choices? What about when it comes to smaller decisions?
• When you believe God wants you to do something, are you likely to do it right away, soon, or when you get around to it? Why do you think that is?
• What are the advantages to living a life with God as the clarifying beam of light?
• What are the disadvantages of not doing so?
