WILL
What will tomorrow bring? The truth is that none of us know. We have an idea what we wish for tomorrow to be. We make plans and act on them like they are set in stone. Sometimes we are devastated when things do not go as we planned. James warned Christians about the uncertainty of the future. “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”” (James 4:13-15 NKJV) Defining the word “will” is almost as difficult as predicting the future. At its root is “wish” or “want”. In practical application “will” is a melding of desire for, and expectation of, a future action or outcome. Since the outcome of our desires for the future is uncertain, James says that our plans should consider what God wants.
What does God want for us? He wants us to reflect Him and not the world (Romans 12:2). He wants us to put our hearts into our work (Ephesians 6:6). He wants us to be perfect and complete (Colossians 4:12). He wants our sanctification by moral purity (1 Thessalonians 4:3). He wants us to be joyful with constant thanksgiving (1 Thessalonians 5:18). He wants us to be submissive to authority so that He is ultimately glorified (1 Peter 2:15). He wants us to repent of our sins because He does not want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). He wants us to love and to live eternally (1 John 4:9).
God wants these things for us because He knows exactly what tomorrow will bring. He knows exactly when He will send Jesus back for judgment (Matthew 24:36). He knows our hearts (Luke 16:15, Acts 15:8) He knows those who truly belong to Him (2 Timothy 2:19). “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4 NKJV) Adopt God’s plan for eternity and your plans for tomorrow will fall perfectly into place.