But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil. James 4:16
Have you ever made a purchase, only to be completely disappointed by the result? Maybe you heard a lot of great things about a restaurant, only to be let down by your experience or maybe you bought an item that was unable to fulfill what it promised. We all have experiences like this—things we thought were going to be wonderful that ended up nothing like we thought. Sometimes we are misled by false promises of advertisers and marketers. But sometimes we are misled by our own insights. We think we know best and that we’re making good decisions, but still, our intuition often misleads us.
Like a person believing all the empty promises of a commercial, we can buy into the lie that our lives are best built in our own way. But this often brings disappointment and separation from the God we were made to live with. You were created in His image, designed to live with Him and reflect Him to the world around you. A life of doing your own thing may be satisfying for a short moment, but it will never give the joy and peace you are searching for. James went as far to say that this way of living is evil, because it is far from our intended design. As we submit our lives before God, we experience the best way to live in the world He has created.
- What are some empty promises you have believed about certain material items or experiences? Why do these things often let us down?
- What does a life in submission to God look like? How is that different than the arrogant way we normally live?
- Pray and ask God to reorient your life around Him instead of putting yourself at the center.
