Here's Something Worth Remembering, Part 2

On behalf of Chuck Swindoll and the entire team at Insight for living.

Happy new year Hua Manos hasn't been longing for this datacom. Most of us are happy to see 20/20 disappear and distant memory.

We are hoping this milestone day triggers a new beginning for you today at Insight for living Chuck invites us to open our Bibles to James chapter 4 this passage offers wise counsel and guidance in this new year titled today's message here something worth remembering. We realize our father that when a woman of God dies nothing of God dies, God passes nothing of her life passes when a memory is established, like stone like etchings in the stone and we relive the things we learned from her and we give you thanks, over and over for her life and her faithfulness in the goodness of her work in the kindness of her character. I remember also those who grieve the passing of their loved ones and with the fading of an old here in the dawning of a new, often those feelings of grief returned give great mercy and deep inner strength to those who really have been reading grieve the loss of the one they loved pray for those who suffer today set aside for whatever reason, unable to be in our midst. Pray that you give relief and healing and hope and a renewal of your spirit, that they might press on and press on press on Saul. We pray as we live this year to live it for one reason and that is for your glory teaches how to get out of the way and release our will to yours as we let you have your way in our lives. Just as we release our gifts.

Now with gratitude and by the way, Lord, thank you for sustaining our lives and helping us exchange our youth for two.

We give now gratefully in the name of Jesus and all God's people said Amen to search the Scriptures with Chuck Swindoll sure to download his searching the Scriptures. Studies by going to Insight world.org/studies. Today's message is titled here something worth remembering.

You are not in charge of others, you are not in charge of yourself that is what James chapter 4 verses 11 through 17 teachers.

James is not a dreamer. He's a very practical mind so he speaks bluntly and I will do the same. James isn't worried about whether you like him or not he isn't worried about whether you feel good after you read what he writes.

I feel the same after telling you what I say. My responsibility is not to make you feel good. My responsibility is to tell you the truth, because only on the basis of the truth. Can you deal with reality. So that's where were going in these few minutes were together learning about this something that's worth remembering. I hope you will say to yourself each week through the next number of weeks this year. I am not in charge just five words, easy to remember. Hard to practice to begin with. I'm not in charge of others. Verses 11 through 12 talk about that when I try to take charge of others. Wonder why do well I speak against them, and I judge them. James addresses both look at it. Verse 11. Don't do that. Stop doing that since you are not in charge of anyone else. Do not speak evil against or criticize, dear brothers and sisters.

You see when you do that you not only ignore your own faults and failures you do that behind the person's back. That's a cowardly thing to do if it's so bad, and if something needs to be confronted and it's for the good of the other individual. Wait until you're alone and at the right time and in the right tone confront the person to his or her face, which takes us to the word judge. That means to bring condemnation one another and only one is qualified for that. Who are you to condemn another you don't control destiny. And if you wonder about judging check out Matthew chapter 7. Remember the log in your own eye, as you look for the speck in your brother's eye. Don't go there if you criticize and judge each other your criticizing and judging God's law is not your call. You see we we step into a role that only God qualified to fill only he knows everything only he knows all the facts. Second, as I said earlier, we ignore our own false and failures.

And third, I will add we assault our love relationship.

When we do that. I know this when I really pray faithfully for another. I cannot say things ugly about so I know when I say things ugly or someone else and someone something organo- prayer is going on so for this year. Let's you and me, agree since you and I are not in charge of others. Let's agree that we will not operate as though we are and will stop putting people down and judging.

We would be miles ahead in relationships. If we would just cover those two bases. How wonderful it would be to have that kind of verbal integrity. That's first. The second reminder if you were not even in charge of ourselves.

Verses 13 to 16 care. James begins this 13 verse and in this 13 verse he puts his finger on five things an individual does who attempts to control his own life or her own life. Number one look at how he puts it, you say today or tomorrow.

So we began by setting our own hard and fast schedule. Wait a minute, wait, wait, is going to be someone hearing this. That's going to say what you we were not supposed to plan when I was posted organize our lightweight that's not what is dealing with. So let me clarify that there is a proverb that says a man's heart devises his way, but the Lord directs his steps everything right about devising your way every New Year's Day. You wouldn't know this if I didn't tell you so I'll let you in on a little activity I do virtually every new year is a virtually because some things have come up and I've been able to. But I think my day timer small book I carry, which is the calendar of every day in the year and I enter into that calendar. The events of that year takes me about 5 to 6 hours to complete my daytime I go through it meticulously.

All the while, if not saying it aloud, thinking Lord at any time I'm at your disposal. You want to bring any change to any part of this, please do. I invite you to do that. Nothing here is in concrete. This is as best I can plan my life because I have a number of responsibilities I juggle in my rules as an individual and I need to keep some of them separate.

I need to make sure there aren't conflicts that I don't plan an event on top of another one or too close to another one.

I need to organize my life. He's not addressing that wise kind of devising of one's way. He's talking about individual who declares or sets in concrete hard and fast.

This will be my schedule today or tomorrow.

Remember that word tomorrow I'll get back to it look further in verse 13 we are going to a certain town so the second an individual does when he thinks he controls his or her own life. We declare our own destination.

That is where we will be.

That is where we will move that is where we are going we are going to a certain town. Notice how it's written and will stay there year. Third, we determine our own limits will be there.

You that's the plan is what I want is what I plan that's what I'm to do. We will stay there year. Fourth, we arrange our own agenda. We will do business there is the plan. My plan I'm going to do that we will do business there, and notice he wraps it up with and will make a profit.

We predict our own outcome when we were in charge.

That's what were going to do. That's good to be the result. Observe what preeminent in verse 13.

I my the I mean after all, never the song I like that so somewhere over the rainbow bluebirds fly so why can I went for the reason is another bluebird so you will be flying over some rainbow written by some dreamer who thought of it will sit on a hilltop somewhere strumming the guitar in torn jeans and barefoot think it up a song okay that's not James.

James undo that there's another one I did it my way. Heard that one old blue eyes.

I didn't like the way you're proud of that severs you won't want your way. How many people plan to profit didn't make a profit.

Don't answer out loud how many plan to do business in it never really materialized.

How many plan that year, but it wasn't you Jane because you are not in charge.

See, this is mistaken confidence is presumption because I am not in charge. I have no right to do those things. In fact, he really doesn't begin in verse 14.

Look at the question, how do you know what your life will be like tomorrow. Your Bible probably reads you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You don't how you going to feel tomorrow.

You don't know what will happen is your driving tomorrow. You don't know what that phone call be that comes in the middle of the night tonight. You don't know what will be the outcome of that surgery this planned for tomorrow.

You don't know when it comes to tomorrow. Three words fit.

I don't know.

That's why I am not in charge only one knows only one that's why he's in charge when you learn this. I hope in this new year. We learned early Lord you're in charge. This is your day it's on loan to me. Thank you for allowing me to live it was yours. Got your name written all over it. I wanted to be for your glory.

I will be involved in anything that you don't want. So stop me, turn me reverse my plan C we are because were mere humans. We have no idea what the future includes a root intrusion changes everything. That's why one of the most uneasy words in our language for us to deal with is unexpected tomorrow. Has that word written all over it. How could you know what to expect until you have lived it.

Unexpected diseases, unexpected accident, unexpected delays, unexpected financial reversal unexpected stroke, unexpected phone call unexpected email unexpected letter in the mail unexpected shooting unexpected tornado unexpected fire, unexpected response.

If I may to go where James is going unexpected death. Death you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. Your your life is a good analogy look closely.

Your life is like the morning fog like a missed says one of the renderings another renders it a puff of smoke. Here's eternity forever and ever with the limitless and there's no there's no ending.

That's life on this earth. Believe me, hear me, more importantly here. This your life is like the morning fog. Here a little while is gone.

The beautiful part about all of this is with the one who's in charge there. There are no there are no surprises there. There are no surprises. My mother and dad had two children, a boy or girl and they thought that was it.

Alpha Omega two kids perfect hi they found out you know what Earl my mother must've said to my daddy Earl. Number three is coming. I was sent from my folks and cute story I never met my paternal grandparents. My dad's father died while he was in high school he had to quit school so she wouldn't start any he went to work to help his mother had something to eat and help the family survive, but his mother lived on through the births of my dad's three kids and they were visiting my paternal grandmother who understand was really hot. Don't and probably not a good word to use, but she's gone now, so she will slap me stood about 4 feet seven the little southern rebel and my daddy tell stories on or in so they were there visiting and there the little boy or my brother was just out of diapers. Lucy was still in diapers and I was in the oven about ready to make my entrance and my mother was, waddling through the house and my grandmother understand looked at my mother and said to my dad, Earl clear to me so he's 6 feet one. She's 4 feet seven.

She goes Earl listen to me goes yes ma'am the Bible says to be fruitful and multiply, and to fill the earth, but he never expected one woman to do it all. Leave her alone.

I guess he did. I was the last child and understand. He said yes ma'am I was no surprise to God. I was certainly surprised them. Maybe you were surprised.

I've never let that bother me. I was born I was never abused or mistreated.

I one wanted, but I know Harold and I was told early and I was a mistake and I thought, hey I like Joan who are really in and so I got a lot of whippings and and learn how to live life correctly.

Still working on it but not my dad knew our family would have three kids, my, that is my God knew that, but what my dad thought they would have the two my mother figure that have maybe one and here she was with three kids. She didn't do really well with little kids hi there I am having more fun with this, but that's the way it unfolds. If the Lord wants us to. We will live and do this or that some babies don't live. Some children don't live some die what we call prematurely.

There is no such thing with God, nothing is premature. His plan is perfect, but because we like to control our lives. We put a timetable on things and were born so will live a long life you have no hope of that. You don't know if you'll be here this time next year. I don't know that either. We hope to be.

We want to be, but we don't know, God knows because he's in now think you got the point very clearly on them, overworking it because it's a tough one to believe and obey this when this meeting is over and we've all gone to our places of residence, maybe even on our way home we quickly tend to forget and before we know what were badmouthing someone or planning our own way and putting it in concrete and were disappointed because it didn't happen. Nobody gave you the right to call your own shots. See we live in such a me-ism today that when we don't get our way there something wrong with it or with you for telling me I don't have a right to do that or think like that not telling you, I'm just reading you what James is you want to say if the Lord wants us to. We will live and do this or that.

What else does that mean if the Lord wants us to. I plan to attend a funeral tomorrow. I hope I'm able to be there. I certainly hope to bring encouragement and comfort to some who grieve. I hope we make it to the funeral and get back you had a chance to be with those we love because my plan and I hold it loosely because it's not my life.

I hope to be here next Sunday. I hope that will unfold.

I'm planning on it but it's all written in pencil with the big eraser.

That's how we live our lives all for his glory all for his pleasure. The book of James is dripping with timeless wisdom and there's much more from this passage Chuck Swindoll wants to show us your listening to Insight for living in a message prepared especially for New Year's day.

Chuck titled his presentation.

Here's something worth remembering to learn more about this ministry, you can visit us online@insightworld.org and then I'm pleased to inform you that Chuck is mapped out his teaching schedule for the new year and to give you a sneak preview. Let me mention the subject will tackle together in 2021, after the final message in this series will resume our study in Ephesians titled becoming a people of grace and then our attention turns back to the first book in the New Testament when Chuck presents a brand-new series on the Gospel of Matthew. Concurrent with his new teaching series on Matthew will be glad to know that Chuck just completed an exhaustive commentary. It's titled Swindoll's living insights commentary for Matthew. Matthew commentary comes into hardbound volumes. Both are ready right now and we encourage you to purchase your copies in time to begin the study with us to purchase Swindoll's living insights commentary for Matthew.

Call us if your listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 or go to Insight.org/store.

Many of us are making every effort to understand our changing times and were learning how to communicate truth with the next generation will Chuck is been impressed with the insight and the new book is recommending to is called a practical guide to culture. The authors John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkel provide a biblical view on key issues in our culture. All of us face such as sexual orientation and gender identity and racial tension. Few you can purchase a copy right now by going to Insight.org/store or if your listening in the United States was the caller style 1-800-772-8880 Oregon go online insight.more invite you to join us again Monday. The Bible teaching of Chuck Swindoll on Insight for living.

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