The Bridge Church
James - Future Planning - Week 7
February 12, 2023
Locations & Times
Englewood SKY Academy
871 S River Rd, Englewood, FL 34223, USA
Sunday 9:00 AM
Sunday 10:30 AM
1. Never assume tomorrow is promised
"Since life is so brief, we cannot afford merely to 'spend our lives', and we certainly do not want to 'waste our lives.' We must invest our lives in those things that are eternal."
- Warren Wiersbe
- Warren Wiersbe
2. Make plans with open hands to God
3. Act in obedience today
Commit your plans to God and actively pursue His will for your future.
MY NEXT STEP TODAY IS:
I need to receive Jesus Christ as my personal Savior for the first time.
I need to be baptized.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/baptism
I need to attend Starting Point.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/starting-point
I need to join a small group.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/bridge-groups
I need to join a serve team.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/serve
I need to receive Jesus Christ as my personal Savior for the first time.
I need to be baptized.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/baptism
I need to attend Starting Point.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/starting-point
I need to join a small group.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/bridge-groups
I need to join a serve team.
https://www.thebridgevenice.com/serve
Dig Deeper:
1. Describe a time when you created a plan for an event in your life. How were the plans useful?
2. Describe a time when things didn’t go according to plans you made. What caused the plan to not work out?
3. Why are plans helpful and necessary in all areas of our lives?
4. Do plans always go the way we think they will? If a plan doesn’t work out as you originally thought, is that always considered a negative outcome?
5. Read James 4:13. Is James saying it is wrong to make plans or make a profit? What is missing from the plan he described?
6. What other scenarios can this be applied to that don’t involve moving or making a profit?
7. Read James 4:14. If we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, should we forego planning?
8. Knowing that our current life is like a vapor compared to our eternal life, how does this knowledge change your perspective on how you live?
9. Read James 4:15-16. What is the most important, yet smallest, word in this passage? Why is it such an important word?
10. How do we create an illusion in our life that we are in control? What factors of this world help us to do so? How does knowing that God is in control shift your thought process in relation to control?
11. Where is God’s will found? Why do we often try to complicate God’s will?
12. Read James 4:17. Have you ever “known the good and yet not do it”? Describe what you learned from that decision.
13. What is the difference between a sin of commission and a sin of omission? Give examples of both types of sin.
14. How does planning help us stay on track with our obedience to God? What guardrails do plans create for us?
15. Read Ephesians 2:10. What good works has God prepared ahead of time for you to do right now?
16. Describe a time when you, after looking to God and his will, began a good work for Him. What was it? What was the outcome?
17. How can we respond to God today as an act of obedience?
Live It Out:
Life is short and eternity is long. How we respond to Jesus is of eternal significance. What has God already told you to do?
- He has called every believer to share their faith with those who don’t know Christ. Are you sharing your faith?
- God has called us to be people of forgiveness. Who do you need to forgive?
- God’s Word calls us to serve others. Are you serving on a ministry team? Are you available to serve?
- God’s Word tells us to be generous with our time, talent, and treasure. Are you living generously? Are you giving towards our future as a church?
The struggle isn’t simply knowing what we are to do, it is doing it. The best way to plan your tomorrow is to obey God with your today.
Reading Plan:
Monday: James 4:1-12
Tuesday: James 4:13-17
Wednesday: Luke 14:28-30, Proverbs 27:1
Thursday: Acts 18:21, Luke 22:42, Proverbs 3:5-6
Friday: Ephesians 2:10, Psalm 90:12, Psalm 102:3a
Saturday: James 5
1. Describe a time when you created a plan for an event in your life. How were the plans useful?
2. Describe a time when things didn’t go according to plans you made. What caused the plan to not work out?
3. Why are plans helpful and necessary in all areas of our lives?
4. Do plans always go the way we think they will? If a plan doesn’t work out as you originally thought, is that always considered a negative outcome?
5. Read James 4:13. Is James saying it is wrong to make plans or make a profit? What is missing from the plan he described?
6. What other scenarios can this be applied to that don’t involve moving or making a profit?
7. Read James 4:14. If we don’t know what tomorrow will bring, should we forego planning?
8. Knowing that our current life is like a vapor compared to our eternal life, how does this knowledge change your perspective on how you live?
9. Read James 4:15-16. What is the most important, yet smallest, word in this passage? Why is it such an important word?
10. How do we create an illusion in our life that we are in control? What factors of this world help us to do so? How does knowing that God is in control shift your thought process in relation to control?
11. Where is God’s will found? Why do we often try to complicate God’s will?
12. Read James 4:17. Have you ever “known the good and yet not do it”? Describe what you learned from that decision.
13. What is the difference between a sin of commission and a sin of omission? Give examples of both types of sin.
14. How does planning help us stay on track with our obedience to God? What guardrails do plans create for us?
15. Read Ephesians 2:10. What good works has God prepared ahead of time for you to do right now?
16. Describe a time when you, after looking to God and his will, began a good work for Him. What was it? What was the outcome?
17. How can we respond to God today as an act of obedience?
Live It Out:
Life is short and eternity is long. How we respond to Jesus is of eternal significance. What has God already told you to do?
- He has called every believer to share their faith with those who don’t know Christ. Are you sharing your faith?
- God has called us to be people of forgiveness. Who do you need to forgive?
- God’s Word calls us to serve others. Are you serving on a ministry team? Are you available to serve?
- God’s Word tells us to be generous with our time, talent, and treasure. Are you living generously? Are you giving towards our future as a church?
The struggle isn’t simply knowing what we are to do, it is doing it. The best way to plan your tomorrow is to obey God with your today.
Reading Plan:
Monday: James 4:1-12
Tuesday: James 4:13-17
Wednesday: Luke 14:28-30, Proverbs 27:1
Thursday: Acts 18:21, Luke 22:42, Proverbs 3:5-6
Friday: Ephesians 2:10, Psalm 90:12, Psalm 102:3a
Saturday: James 5