Don't Count Your Chickens (3/15/26)

Devotional

Day 1: Submitting Our Plans to the Lord’s Will

Our lives are filled with intentions and ambitions, yet we are reminded that our time on earth is fleeting and our control is limited. We are called to hold our plans with open hands, acknowledging that every step is ultimately directed by a sovereign God. This posture replaces arrogance with humility, trusting that His purposes will prevail. It is an invitation to live each day in conscious dependence on Him. [35:56]

“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.’” (James 4:13-15 ESV)

Reflection: What is one specific plan or goal you are currently making that you need to consciously surrender with the phrase, “If the Lord wills”?

Day 2: Recognizing the Brevity of Our Lives

The scripture paints a vivid picture of our existence: a mist that is here for a moment and then vanishes. This reality is not meant to foster fear but to provide perspective, encouraging us to invest in what is eternal. It calls us to evaluate how we spend our days, ensuring our efforts have lasting significance. Our time is a gift to be stewarded for God’s glory, not our own. [35:40]

“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.” (James 4:14 ESV)

Reflection: Considering the fleeting nature of life, what is one activity or pursuit that occupies your time but holds little eternal value, and what is one step you could take to reorient that time toward something lasting?

Day 3: The Peril of Hoarding Earthly Wealth

A stern warning is given to those who place their security in accumulated possessions. Wealth itself is not condemned, but the act of hoarding it for self-indulgence is. Such treasures are temporary and vulnerable to decay, revealing a heart that trusts in resources rather than in the Provider. This misplacement of trust invites spiritual poverty and divine judgment. [38:49]

“Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.” (James 5:2-3 ESV)

Reflection: In what practical way might you be trusting in your financial security or possessions more than in God’s provision for your future?

Day 4: Using Our Resources for Good and for God

We are entrusted with resources not for our luxury alone, but to actively do good and be generous. True riches are found in good works and a readiness to share what we have with those in need. This transforms our wealth from a potential snare into a tool for God’s kingdom, storing up treasure in heaven that will never fade. [58:39]

“As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, and ready to share.” (1 Timothy 6:17-18 ESV)

Reflection: Who is one person in your sphere of influence whose practical need you have the ability to meet this week, and what would it look like to generously share?

Day 5: Investing Our Hearts in Eternal Treasure

Our hearts inevitably follow what we value most. The call is to intentionally invest in the eternal—the advancement of God’s kingdom and the souls of people—which can never be taken from us. This shifts our focus from temporary possessions to what truly lasts, ensuring our affections are aligned with our Father’s good pleasure. [01:01:49]

“Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:33-34 ESV)

Reflection: Where is your heart most invested when you consider your schedule, spending, and energy—in building earthly security or in pursuing eternal treasure?

Sermon Summary

James exhorts believers to ground daily plans in God’s will rather than in personal boasting about the future. The text from James 4:13–17 warns that life vanishes like a mist and that presumptive plans without acknowledging God amount to arrogance and sin. The teaching then transitions to James 5, where a sharp critique of hoarded wealth confronts those who build comfort at the expense of justice. The rich who withhold wages, indulge in luxury, and place security in stores of silver face coming judgment unless they repent and reorient their hearts.

Scripture anchors the argument: Proverbs 16:9 and Proverbs 3:5–6 remind that human planning must submit to God’s direction. Luke 12’s parable of the rich fool reinforces the danger of storing earthly goods while neglecting eternal priorities; life can demand the soul before the barns fill. First Timothy clarifies that money itself does not condemn; the love of money and the setting of one’s hope on uncertain riches pull people away from faithful living. Instead, the wealthy should practice generosity, good works, and readiness to share so that their treasures form a righteous foundation.

Practical applications surface repeatedly. Christians must examine where their hearts dwell: on transient possessions or on investing in people and the kingdom. The congregation receives direct calls to repent where exploitation has occurred, to pay laborers rightly, and to avoid subtle forms of theft such as pirating content or claiming others’ work. Memory and discipline in Scripture learning provide a steady compass for decisions about ambition, home, and giving. The closing appeal centers on radical reorientation: set aside boasting, submit plans to God, steward resources for others, and measure success by kingdom fruit rather than bank balances. Worship and prayer undergird the call to move from earthly accumulation toward heavenly investment and to make saving souls the true, lasting priority.

Key Takeaways

1. Do not boast in plans Boasting about future projects treats tomorrow as owned rather than received. The Bible insists on the conditional posture: “if the Lord wills,” which reframes ambition as dependence and accountability. Prideful plans blind the heart to God’s sovereignty and make obedience optional instead of central. This humility preserves moral clarity when unexpected loss or change arrives. [35:21]
2. Life is short; trust God Life appears briefly and then vanishes, so urgency must shape choices. Trusting God reorders daily priorities from accumulating to investing in what endures. A theology of brevity presses believers to build on Christ, not on sand or on temporal comfort. That urgency refines discipleship into deliberate, gospel-shaped action. [45:17]
3. Wealth should serve God's kingdom Possessions prove morally neutral until they claim the heart or silence compassion. Biblical instruction calls the affluent to channel resources into good works, generosity, and sharing so treasure becomes a foundation for eternal impact. True stewardship treats money as a tool for neighbors and the mission, not as a refuge from dependence on God. Faithful use of wealth resists idolatry and multiplies kingdom fruit. [58:07]
4. Repent from exploiting others' labor Withholding wages and profiting from injustice contradict covenant justice and cry out to God. Repentance requires tangible repair: pay what is owed, stop practices that rob or manipulate, and honor the dignity of workers and creators. Justice for the vulnerable proves the depth of one’s commitment to Christ and prevents wealth from becoming a source of condemnation. Restitution and changed habits testify to transformed hearts. [56:41]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[17:21] - Announcements & snow camp update
[22:18] - Opening prayer and worship
[32:02] - James: Proverbs of the New Testament
[34:23] - Don’t count your chickens (James 4)
[38:27] - Riches, hoarding, and judgment (James 5)
[49:33] - Trust God; Proverbs and Luke connections
[60:18] - Sell possessions; treasures in heaven
[65:24] - Final call: live for God
[72:39] - Closing prayer and dismissal

Bible Study Guide

Based on the sermon summary and transcript, the primary text is James 4:13-17, which flows directly into the warning to the rich in James 5:1-6. The study guide will focus on these passages and the key supporting scriptures referenced.

Bible Reading
* James 4:13-17 (ESV)
* James 5:1-6 (ESV)

Observation questions

According to James 4:13-14, what is the fundamental error in how people make plans, and what reason does James give for this warning?
What is the prescribed alternative to boasting about our future plans, as stated in James 4:15?
In James 5:4, what specific action of the rich is condemned, and whose attention does it capture?
The sermon connected the idea of life's brevity to building a foundation. [45:17] What two foundations were described, and what determines which one a person has?

Interpretation questions

James 4:17 says that knowing the right thing to do and not doing it is sin. In the context of planning and wealth, what is the "right thing" James is urging his readers to do?
The love of money is described as a root of all kinds of evil and a "thorn" that can choke out faith. [53:55] How can something God provides for our enjoyment become such a dangerous spiritual trap?
The application of defrauding laborers was extended to modern contexts like pirating content or using AI to take credit for others' work. [55:39] Why do these actions fall under the same biblical principle of injustice as withholding wages?
First Timothy 6:17-19 instructs the rich to be generous and ready to share. How does this generous use of wealth act as an antidote to the "hoarding" and "self-indulgence" condemned in James 5?

Application questions

What is a specific plan or ambition you are currently "counting on" for your future? How can you actively practice submitting that plan to the Lord's will, making "if the Lord wills" a genuine posture of your heart and not just a religious phrase?
Life is a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. [45:17] Considering this reality, what is one change you could make this week to shift your focus from accumulating temporary things to investing in what is eternal?
The call to repent from exploiting others' labor includes modern forms like digital piracy or taking credit for another's work. [56:41] Is there an area in your life—downloading, streaming, or at your job—where you need to stop a practice that "robs" someone else? What would repentance and tangible repair look like in that situation?
Our treasure and our hearts are inseparably linked. [01:01:49] What does your spending (on hobbies, entertainment, comfort, etc.) reveal about where your treasure is currently stored? What is one practical step you could take to better align your spending with storing up treasure in heaven?
Wealth is a tool to be used for good works, generosity, and readiness to share. [58:07] What is a resource you have—not just money, but also time, a skill, or a possession—that you are being prompted to share with someone in need this week?
The ultimate priority is bringing people with us into eternity. [01:02:44] Who is one person in your life that you are being called to invest in more intentionally for the sake of the gospel? What is a first step you can take to engage them?

Sermon Clips

42s

#FromBumperToBust

“But this episode starts out where Charles Ingalls is walking through his wheat field, huge wheat. He's smiling. He's having a good time. Life looks good. And as he walks through the field, he goes back in the house, and he says, oh, we're gonna have the best harvest we've ever had, bumper crop. Everything looks great. And mom and the girls are all excited, and and they start going down a list of things that they're gonna buy. They're gonna buy new shoes for for pa. They're gonna go down, they're gonna buy dresses for the girls and curtains and all these different things that they're gonna get, and they're all very excited. That night, there's a bad storm. A hailstorm comes through and wipes out all the crop in his field, but not only his, everybody else in the surrounding area.”