PRESUMPTUOUS PLANNING (5 OF 6)
Scripture: James 4:13-17
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Presumptuous Planning (5 of 6)
Series: Ever Nearer: A Study in James
Michael White
James 4:13-17
Statement: I draw ever nearer to God when I humbly plan my life according to his will.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul
Many of you are familiar with William Ernest Henley's poem, Invictus, which he wrote it after having his leg amputated and suffering from tuberculosis.
High school students are often required to memorize it, there was a movie about Nelson Mandella By that name, and it's often quoted on the back of athletic shirts
And the reason it has become so popular is because its a celebration of the indomitable human spirit to persevere and overcome obstacles that one faces by chance and circumstance.
It's an inspiring poem in the midst of adversity and competition. I will not give up. My head is bloody but unbowed. I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul!
Certainly its an emotional, captivating poem but can you see how arrogant it really is?
Am I really the sovereign over my life? DO I really determine the course of events that ultimately lead to my fate?
And if you are a christian you realize that the answer to that is indisputably, no.
We're studying James chapter 4 this morning. James has been talking about humility. Pride results in conflict and God resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble.
And we all desperately need God's grace.
It is prideful to claim we are the masters of our fate ...
Series: Ever Nearer: A Study in James
Michael White
James 4:13-17
Statement: I draw ever nearer to God when I humbly plan my life according to his will.
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find me, unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul
Many of you are familiar with William Ernest Henley's poem, Invictus, which he wrote it after having his leg amputated and suffering from tuberculosis.
High school students are often required to memorize it, there was a movie about Nelson Mandella By that name, and it's often quoted on the back of athletic shirts
And the reason it has become so popular is because its a celebration of the indomitable human spirit to persevere and overcome obstacles that one faces by chance and circumstance.
It's an inspiring poem in the midst of adversity and competition. I will not give up. My head is bloody but unbowed. I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul!
Certainly its an emotional, captivating poem but can you see how arrogant it really is?
Am I really the sovereign over my life? DO I really determine the course of events that ultimately lead to my fate?
And if you are a christian you realize that the answer to that is indisputably, no.
We're studying James chapter 4 this morning. James has been talking about humility. Pride results in conflict and God resists the proud but he gives grace to the humble.
And we all desperately need God's grace.
It is prideful to claim we are the masters of our fate ...
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