James 4:13-17
Forgetting God

James asks a lot of hard questions throughout his short letter, questions that are very practical to our lives today. He shows us that how we live in the world (false wisdom or true wisdom) are both built on a view of God and how He behaves in the world. Today, James will make us look at our lives in regard to arrogance and how we think we have ultimate control over all of our circumstances.

There isn’t anyone reading these notes whose whole life couldn’t change with their cell phone buzzing in their pocket right now. We’re fragile, James is pointing this out. James is not saying we shouldn’t make plans, he says that there is a fundamental difference between the way we ordinarily do it and the way we should do it. He says there is a sin that is so huge that we totally miss it, because when we commit it, it doesn’t require effort at all. We commit it by not doing anything as we go through life forgetting God.

• Forgetting God is dishonoring to God.
The Old Testament makes a connection between “wicked” and forgetting God. If God has no substance in our lives, no glory, we become untethered and lost. James says forgetting God is not just evil, it’s boastful, arrogant, and proud because when we forget God, by definition, we assume God’s place.

• Forgetting God is bad for us.
When we forget God, we also forgot who we are. If we remember God is God (and we are not), we may not get something we are hoping or praying for, but we can go to sleep easier at night because God holds everything in His hands. Forgetting God makes us anxious and also proud.

• How do we avoid Forgetting God? James 4:15 - Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills…"
James says that we must take any situation we are in (or any plan we make) and remind ourselves that the only reason we are still here is by the grace of God. Jonathan Edwards would remind himself every morning, “I must remember this, that everything I enjoy today, which is better than hell, is strictly by the mercy and gracious upholding power of God.”

James wants us to think about how we are living (wise or unwise). We look at every part of our lives and say, “This is all grace.” This understanding will transform everything; it will change us to not just ask if something we did was wrong, but also ask “what is the right thing God wants me to do right now.”

Community Discussion

Read James 4:13-17.
• What things do you tend to forget the most?
• When are you most prone to forget God?
• When was a time you forgot God?
• In the times you forget about God, what are you actively thinking about?
• What does forgetting God say about your own theology?

• What types of things do you schedule and plan for the future?
• How often do you reference God in your planning/ scheduling?
• When was the last time you said, “Deo Volente” (God willing?)
• In what areas do you need to say Deo Volente?

• When is it easier to remember God? (Holy Days, when things don’t go to plan, etc.)
• Who do you remember most often and why?
• Why do we remember some people more/better than others?
• Why is it important to remember God?

• How is forgetting God dishonoring to Him?
• How is forgetting God bad for us?

• Spend some time remembering Christ’s sacrifice for your life?
• Do you believe that God doesn’t have buyer’s remorse over you