James 4:15

For that. Gr. anti, “instead.”

If the Lord will. James does not mean that the Christian should always speak these words, but that the spirit of submission reflected by them actually should guide every plan.

The first man (see on v. 13) neglects God’s will for his future in preference for material gain. The second church member realizes the uncertainty of life and endeavors to make the service of God primary in his life. He knows that God has a special plan for him, and that only by adopting that plan will he find true satisfaction. A consistent application of this principle may mean that some of life’s best-laid plans will be altered, in order that God’s better plan may succeed. This the genuine Christian accepts with joy in the assurance that God controls his life. Paul lived one day at a time, knowing that his life was in God’s hands. He could tally say that all of his plans were subject to the will of the Lord (see Acts 18:21; 1 Cor. 4:19; Phil. 2:24).

Live. Compare Acts 17:28.

Do. When men submit to the will of God (v. 7) they do well to remember that God’s ways are often different from those of men (cf. Isa. 55:8, 9). Consequently, a faithful Christian faces each day with confidence in divine guidance in all his enterprises, whether “this, or that.”