Week 8 (Days 323-324): What’s the difference between temptation and trials?

Hey Bible readers, welcome to TBR Deep Dive. I'm Emma Daughter. I'm Kirsten McCloskey. And we are so excited to review some questions from this week's Bible reading. So Kirsten, are you ready for the first question? Yes. Alright, let's get into it. Let's jump in. Question number one coming from day 323, the passage is 9-1-9. The question reads, why doesn't Jesus immediately tell Saul what to do? Instead, Jesus tells Saul to wait for someone else to tell him. Now, if you don't have X9 memorized, you might not know what this question is talking about. So essentially, Saul hears Jesus's voice. He gets up from the ground, but when he opens his eyes, he can't see. You remember this? Yes. And his friends had to lead him into Damascus, where he stayed blind and didn't eat or drink for three days. And so the person who's asking this question, maybe one of the recaptants, and that in the Facebook group is thinking, hey, why all of these obstacles? Why wouldn't God just tell him what to do, give him back his sight right away? What's going on here? I know. I think this is a really good question. And just kind of interesting to think about what's going on in this passage, because Jesus is very clear with Saul about a couple different things. He's like, you're persecuting me, and he does give him this clear insight of like, go into the city, and there I'll tell you what to do. But what he doesn't do is tell him why he's having to go to the city, what's next. So it's like, he gives him kind of this starting point, but then he doesn't take it all the way to the finish line. Okay. And so it's interesting because I think, like we don't know exactly why. Obviously, some of these questions we can't give a specific answer, but we can think about what is the show's about God's character. And also, how does it show us the way that God asks his people to work together? Good. And so something that I think is really important in the book of Acts, which is where this is coming from, is that Luke who wrote Acts is giving an account of what did happen. This is a story. It's a narrative. So it's not different from some of the other books like Leviticus, you know, we've got rules and laws or something like Proverbs, we've got a lot of wisdom, but this is telling us what happened in the early church. And so what we're seeing here is that I think God setting up for this early church, hey, you guys are going to work together in partnership. And some people, I think, see Paul as like working alone, kind of a lone wolf. And hopefully as as our Bible readers are reading through the Bible, you get more of a sense of Paul is working alongside of many other people. And I think this is one of the places where we actually see that kind of start. Yeah. Totally. I think you're so right to affirm the question. Because even though yes, we don't know why. It's a great question to ask. And I was thinking about if I was in the shoes of the person who asked this question. And the heart of it is really, why did God make Salt Wait? Yeah. And for us, we often ask God, why are you making me wait? Why aren't I being clear? Yes. Yes. I think it's a good example that sometimes God's answer is wait. It can be yes. It can be no. It can also be wait. And that can feel confusing or boring or for me, often frustrating. But it can also be how God prepares our hearts. It can be to your point, how God teaches us about what it looks like to work with others in the body of Christ or to lean on others. And it can also be a moment of quiet or stillness in which we learn how to hear God's voice while we're waiting and to seek Him diligently. So I think it's much easier said than done. But no, waiting. You think waiting's hard, Emma? I mean, for me, I don't know about you. Yeah, no, I waiting is waiting is a challenge. Yes, 100%. And so the other thing I just want to point out with this too is that as we see Paul go into Damascus and wait, then Ananias, who is going to be the person to come and pray for Saul and who's going to through his prayers, God is going to restore Saul's sight. God's also doing something in Ananias during this point, which I think is really awesome. Just kind of with this, this early church working together and they're being this partnership of God's doing something in Saul's life. And he's doing something in Ananias. It's like he could be deepening Ananias's trust in God. 100%. And I think that's really what we see because Ananias is like, God, are you sure that this is the right person you want me to go pray for? So definitely, I think there's there's work that's happening kind of behind the scenes with both of these men. And we don't necessarily know what it is. Luke doesn't tell us, but we can kind of think something is going on. Yeah. And neat tidbit that I found as I was studying this question. Ananias is the Greek form of the Hebrew name, Ananiya, which means Yahweh has been gracious. Wow. And I just think that's interesting because sometimes the waiting is the graciousness of God. And we don't we're not always able to see that. But that maybe perhaps possibly this encounter was God making sure that Ananias and others would know that that is true. God is gracious that others through this encounter, through the waiting, through the chalet, through the working together, would see God's character more clearly. Yeah. That's cool. Yeah. And I do think just kind of one other piece is so we talked about this a little bit like God, God is incredibly clear when he first speaks to Paul. I am Jesus from your persecuting. Then he gives him clear instructions rise and under the city. You'll be told what to do. And then Paul has this time of waiting. And I feel so confident that in that time of waiting, Paul Saul turns Paul well. We know what you mean. We know. Thank you. Paul Saul. Paul slash Saul. Saul. So I think what's amazing is that during this time of waiting, Saul is certainly crying out to the Lord, thinking through everything that he once thought, and having to reframe that through having just met the risen Christ. And so I think that's just really incredible. That's amazing. What do you think is the hardest Emma when you are having to wait on God? Oh, I mean, wondering whatever it is that I want, like not having whatever it is that I'm asking for. So if it's praying for provision, praying for restored relationship, praying, whatever it is, healing for someone who's sick, if God's not giving me the answer that I want in my timing that can be frustrating, but it's an opportunity to say, okay, Lord, you're not giving me this for whatever reason. I don't know that reason. I have to remind myself that you are good. Your character is consistent. You're still trustworthy. You're doing something. I just can't see it. Would you help me to remember what is true versus focusing on what's not happening or what I'm not getting really? That's such a good point. Yeah. That's great. You ready for the next question? Yeah, let's go ahead. Do it. All right. Okay. So this question comes from day 326. And it is from James 1, 12 to 15. So I'll read the question. What's the difference between temptation and testing slash trials? I love this question. I think it's really helpful. I know. So let me show you read the verse. Okay. Okay. Let me just read the verse. Okay. So again, from James 1, 12 to 15, which reads, blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial. For when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, I am being tempted by God. For God cannot be tempted with evil and he himself temps no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin and sin when it is fully grown gives birth to death. So one thing we have to make super clear, super clear from the start or really emphasize is that God does not tempt us to sin. God does not tempt us. He is not the one who does the tempting. Yes. We say, God does the doing a lot. He doesn't do the tempting. He allows it. Should we put that on a shirt? I like that. Yeah. Yeah. Two when he allows it. Yes. Oh, yeah. He allows it. But he himself doesn't tempt us. Yep. The enemy tempts us. Yep. So two who is James and who is he talking to? I think that's important. James is often called James the just and he's likely the brother of Jesus. Some scholars disagree about was this a different James writing. But generally that's who we're talking about. He wasn't a believer until after the resurrection. But then he became the head of the church in Jerusalem. And he's mentioned as a first pillar of this church in Galatians. So he went from being maybe a little more skeptical of his brother. Yeah. All in leading the church in Jerusalem. Yeah. And some people some people think he wrote this letter because people were saying that if you fleshed your faith in Jesus, you can do whatever you want. You're saved. You've got grace. Live your life, which we know is not true. So he might have been correcting a misunderstanding of what grace truly is. Okay. Others they don't necessarily speculate about that. Why? But they're just like, he's writing to people who are scattered everywhere. And his whole point in this letter is don't just talk the talk, walk the walk. But it's so weird. Yeah. So where to trials and testing? Yes. So he uses two different words, which I think is helpful. And we read English, we think of those as synonyms that have the same meaning. Trial and temptation. Trial and testing. Okay. Yeah. Temptation maybe could be a trial. And so we might think of temptation as a trial. But the Greek words have very different definitions. So in English, we confuse them as synonyms. They're actually not they're they're different. So the word that he uses for temptation is pair a rossimose. I got to work on my Greek pronunciation a little bit. Pay a rossimose meaning to put to proof by experiment or experience. Okay. So something is occurring because you've been provoked and you're experiencing now. Let's say it's distress because the enemy is tempting you to lie to me. Okay. Or whatever, you know, whatever the sentence. So you are experiencing temptation because something has provoked you. Okay. Yes. Can I say one other thing? And I think these are in line. But tell me if you feel like these are the these aren't coming across the same way. But what I was looking at with my research is more so that the temptation is actually internal. Oh, interesting. So maybe we have a little bit of like the world, the flesh and the devil, when we're talking about temptation. And so what we mean by that is that there are there are different forces working against Christians. We've got a fallen broken world. We've got the devil who is our adversary. And then we have our own so fleshly desires are sinful desires. Yes. So then the key distinction would be when you look at testing, it's something that's proved through a trial. So a trial could be I'm sick. But who's the active agent in not sickness? We don't necessarily know. But if I'm being tempted to sin, that is the enemy. The active agent in that scenario is Satan. Satan is the one who tempts God tests Satan. But I think both have the same revolt. Yes. And I would also say that I feel like with temptation, what I think a piece of maybe James is trying to do here is that we also are kind of at fault for lack of a better word. When again, not just when we are tempted, we don't automatically sin. So that's really important. That is important. But if we give into that temptation, it's not a Satan made me do it. The devil made me do it. It's that yes, that might be a factor. But also it's my own internal desires that are against God. Does that make sense? Yes, that totally makes sense because that's really good. So we can say what's different between testing and tempting the active agent. Satan is the agent who tempts. But there's some similarities. So to your point, I have a responsibility to respond to both both the trials in my life, like a loved one getting sick and the temptations in my life. Exactly. And both of those things are going to either reveal faith in me or lock their up. Yeah, that's they're going to show. Okay, when Emma faces temptation or trial, she clings to Jesus or they're going to show he, when life gets really hard, Emma struggles a little bit. Kirsten struggles a little bit. Both can have the same result. Yeah. And I think kind of along those same lines, it's James, I think, is working to expose the attitude of what happens in the midst of trials or temptations. So is our tendency to blame God? Which again, he says, no, God is not the one tempting you. Or is our tendency to view a trial as, okay, like, like what you're saying, let this produce more faith in me as I run to Jesus, hold on to Jesus so that I can get through this trial or testing, which I know is going to produce something good in my life. Well, in that, that attitude pieces why I bring up the culture, the cultural context, because of these people were saying, hey, it doesn't matter what I do. Yes. God's grace covers it. It doesn't matter. Then when they encounter temptation, it's like, well, I can just give in because who cares? That's a bad attitude. That's a very bad attitude. But if my attitude is, no, I want to respond in any and every situation with holiness because God is holy. And I recognize what he's done for me. And out of gratitude, I want to live right justly. Then I really care about my response to temptation or trial. Yeah. But if my attitudes poor, luckily cares much. Well, and I'm thinking connecting this a little bit back to what we were just talking about with Saul in the waiting. I think so much of that is true in these trials, too, because it's about perseverance. Yep. And so when I'm thinking about, you know, when something is not going my way, whether I'm having to wait or just I'm having to persevere in the midst of like, this is really, really challenging for me. If I can keep that more eternal perspective, if I can recognize like what you were saying when we're talking about Saul, what it what remains true in the midst of this, that's where I feel like it really helps to stand firm in the midst of those, which I think is what James is trying to get us to do. Agreed. You ready for the next question? Okay. This one comes from day three, 23. And the passage is acts nine, 15 through 16. And the question is very straightforward. Okay. As a Christian, should I expect a specific call like the one Saul or Paul got from the Lord? So let me read these verses for you. Cool. Acts nine, 15 through 16. But the Lord said to him, go for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. Yeah. And that's that's actually the Lord speaking to Ananias, sending him to go tell Saul this, but Saul obviously would have known this as well. Yes. But okay. So let's start with this question. This is a really interesting question. And definitely something that I feel like I thought about a lot. Kind of in my in the beginning of my maybe like really focused discipleship journey with the Lord. So when I really felt like I was focused now, you're so distracted now. Good boy. I know what you mean. Maybe earlier on when you were devoting some specific time. Yes. I think to growing in Christ. Yes. Exactly. I'm seeing the one I'm doing my Bible school overseas when I'm doing my mission stuff, my mission stuff when I was a missionary. And I think more so just kind of like when I was really really thinking about, okay, God, like my life is yours. So what what do you want me to do? And I think many people are kind of asking that question. So okay. So let's first define call. So we can be clear about what we're talking about because really there's there's two aspects of what this looks like for Christians. So first, all Christians are called by God to salvation. So in that sense, all of us are called. So it's like, yes, you can expect to call on your life. It's that you were called to salvation. You responded to that. You've been saved. This is good news, obviously. And this also means that through this call, you are called to a new way of life, which reflects this change. But second, many Christians will talk about a specific call. And so that's more so what's going on in this verse and what we're talking about here. And this is a call specifically to Christian service. And so Paul was called to be an apostle. And he talks about this in Galatians, he talks about talks about this in Romans in Romans, it says Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus called to be an apostle set apart for the gospel of God. Jesus specifically calling his disciples. Now, so we're talking about this second kind of call. And we see this, this is not new with Paul or Saul. This is this is seen throughout the Old Testament as well. We see Samuel was called by the Lord Moses was called Gideon and judges was called. So Paul's not the first one. And one other thing kind of as we're setting this up that I think is really important and interesting is that we're never responsible for calling ourselves. Yes. So you can say that again. Yes, we are never responsible for calling ourselves. So God calls us both to him for our salvation, praise God, and then for service on his behalf. Both of those are initiated by God. And this is obviously very clear in Paul's situation. I think about the call in kind of two buckets. So when I went through a Bible training program, they taught us that they're things that are normative and things that are informative and normative things are the things that we should expect in our everyday life experience as followers of Jesus. Yes, that's good. Informative things are things that happened at a specific time and a specific place for a specific purpose or to signal something specific. So should we expect a call? I'd say, well, yes, God calls all of us as you just laid out to a couple of things. However, we could also look at Saul's call on the Damascus road and think, okay, I probably shouldn't expect God to blind me. And very simply, in three days someone will meet me there if I'm supposed to marry this person. You know what I mean? Like that specificity is probably an informative moment. This is what Saul's call looked like. Our calls from the Lord probably won't look the same. Right. Well, and I would say they wouldn't look the same. We, the reality is God might call you to something incredibly specific and give you kind of these various specific things. But I think what, at least what was really helpful for me as I was processing through this many years ago and just kind of in many ways, I think really really wanting a call that was as specific as Paul's. And also that was like so clear and kind of felt like, oh, God had given me the road map for my entire life. But I think what I actually ended up feeling was an incredible amount of pressure to live like Paul. And it's like interesting. In what way? To live like Paul in what way? I think to just make, maybe make as big of an impact as Paul did or to feel like I got to suffer as much as Paul did or I've got to, you know, like, if I'm not suffering, I'm not doing it right. Right. Or like, my life should be as hard as Paul's life. And again, like the Christian life is difficult. And we need to expect that at times and we need to be ready for that and prepared for that. Like Jesus leads us in the way of suffering. But Jesus has also given us specific gifts. He has placed us in specific country specific towns. We have grown up in specific families all to prepare us for the kind of service that he has for our lives. So I think that's where sometimes kind of like the comparison is the thief of joy can be where it's like, if you're looking and thinking, I need to be like Paul because he's kind of the most clear man. Yeah, he's the most clear example. A great example. A great example. But he also had like, you were saying something very specific. And I don't think the expectation should be, yeah, you need to be just like Paul's exactly, exactly. But at the same time, I think you can ask God for that. Ask God for what he wants to do in your life. What kind of calling he has on your life and be open-handed with that and see what God does. Like, that's amazing. And there are calls that are collective for all believers at all times. So, so for example, one example, so one example of that would be Exodus 196. God calls Israel to be a kingdom of priests. They're supposed to be set apart and show the rest of the world what God's like. Now, did they do that super well? Read the Old Testament. You'll find out. But stick with that. Today, there's a call on the church, Revelation 510, that we are to show the world. God's mercy, his grace, tell others about Jesus. So, there's a warning there. I think, hey, don't miss the calling that is clear for all of us. Matthew 28, make disciples of all nation. That's that is a clear call in our lives. But God's calling flows from his sovereignty. He rolls over history. He accomplishes him, his purposes and his time. With whomever he wants to use to accomplish them. And though we do get to make choices, his ultimate plan will will prevail. So, there there may be a failure, a fear. There may be a fear in in some listeners. Like, what if I miss the call? Yes, right. What if I don't get it? And it's not as clear as Saul's was. And there's, we don't have to worry about that. Yeah, because there are calls that are clear. Yeah. Tell other people about Jesus. That's the clearest call there is. And beyond that, if God wants you to do something, he's going to make it clear that that's what he wants you to do. Yeah, I think that's really encouraging to the ending point. Thank you. Thank you. You ready for the next question? He encouraged, yes. Yes, yes. You're looking to miss it. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Exactly. All right. This one comes from day 327 and the passage was Acts 152. The question reads, what does it mean that the question of circumcision was brought to the apostles and the elders and not just the apostles? So, why the elders too? Yep. And let me read this text for us, Acts 152, which says, and after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension in debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. Nice. Okay. So here's where we need to start with this one. We need to talk about what this question was and give just a little bit of some framework for kind of what's going on here. And so in Acts 15, what we are seeing is the Jerusalem Council. And we'll try to kind of keep this, keep this brief, but this is a really important thing that happens in the early church. And so let's just unpack a little bit about this council. So taking place in Jerusalem, what was it and why was it happening? So church leaders from various areas, we see Paul and Barnabas come, we see the church in Jerusalem as a part of it, which is basically kind of the, they're a little bit of like the mother church at this point, like they're this, they're the starting point, they're kind of the mother church, the mother church, right? And what they're debating, what they're trying to figure out is we've got Jewish believers and we've got Gentile believers. And at the very beginning, if you remember, Jesus and his disciples, everyone at the beginning of Christianity is Jewish. So it is birthed from Judaism. And so basically what happens is they're realizing, okay, now we, we've seen the Messiah, we, we understand these promises we've been waiting for, but they also still keep up their normal rituals and they're following the law just like they've always been. But then as the message continues to expand, now we've got Gentiles coming in and the Gentiles don't have the Old Testament, they weren't following the laws. And so what do we do with them? Do they have to become Jewish in order to do all the Jewish things? Exactly. And so one of these questions is, do Gentiles have to be circumcised? Because remember, circumcision was the sign of the covenant. And so this is a huge deal. And many Jews were like, no, you, you have to be circumcised because you're kind of coming into this Judeo Christian thing we've got going on. But at this council, they're recognizing, okay, so the Holy Spirit has fallen on Gentiles. Gentiles are included. So what do we do? Do we actually have to make them follow this? Yes. That was great context. So now they've got this big question. Do the Gentiles have to get circumcised? Yes. And why are they taking this question to the elders and the apostles? Yes. So it's a little bit about like the authority. Yes. So one option is that leadership in the early church was shared. The apostles had unique authority. They were eyewitnesses of the risen Christ. But the elders were recognized as spiritual leaders in each local congregation. Right. So they were the ones responsible for shepherding and teaching. And I think what can be helpful to think about is if you think about your own church, there's people there that know you. Hopefully. Because you go every week. Yep. And if something were to happen in your life, if something were to be troubling you, you would go to that person, that pastor to get seek advice, counsel, prayer, whatever it may be. They're the ones who care for you. And by involving both groups, the Jerusalem church demonstrated that yes, doctrinal teaching is really important. But practical decisions are also really important. And so this collaborative discernment is emphasizing, hey, local church leaders, you've got a significant role. And if hearts in your congregation are questioning what is true or right, that involves you. But because this is a unique period in history, the apostles are also at this time kind of like coaching those local leaders through letters, sometimes being with them. So they're doing it together. But it doesn't mean that the local leaders were bad or that the apostles were bad and needed the elders. It's just collaboration is a good thing. Yes. And I think that that it's a very interesting question to kind of notice that aspect of what's going on here. And I think that collaboration piece is something really important for us to take away that yes, like what you said, the apostles in the early church were kind of the main leaders. They were the ones in Jerusalem. They were the ones going out to tell more people the good news. But that recognition that okay, the apostles have this special authority from the Lord. But we need to pass that on through teaching through setting up elders well in the local church. And so what I like about this is that it shows that there wasn't just one person making a choice on this. And again, I think maybe some people, if you're not as familiar with Paul, you might automatically think, oh, he's the one that's going to go and tell everybody what to do. Exactly. Which is so not what what happens there. You see the dialogue between the leaders in Jerusalem and Paul and Barnum and like the people kind of on the field. It's a little bit like if you had if you had like a kind of a I keep using mother church. Yeah, but that's another church. If you had let's say like your sending church. And then you had these church plays that better. Yeah. You had this sending church and then you had the church plans. But there's still one entity. And so if this sending church is going to make some decision, they want to hear from the other churches that they planted in vice versa. So it really it kind of shows that no one's really going rogue on anything. Which is good. Which I think is a really cool thing to notice about the early church. Yeah. So there's I think you just raised like two super key points. One is that there was this transition from a apostolic leadership to local church leaders led by elders, deacons, et cetera, presbyters. So you you see this movement as the church is growing. More churches are being planted. Now you've got more local leaders popping up. But you've also got this precedent or pattern emerging for decision making in the church at large. And major theological questions were resolved in community. Amen. And I think that's so about one more time. Yeah. Major theological major theological decisions were made in community. Yeah. That's good. Not two people at coffee, hashten it out if you're a Calvinist or not. Yeah. I mean, I think that is the positive example here is that we're seeing a picture when there was a theological question and a really big important question that had implications for everyone. Yes. For everyone. And I'm sure people didn't all see it the same way. Totally. I'm certain. Yeah. I mean, that we can really conclude that from the text. They got together. They sought the Lord. The Lord made it clear. They were patient to see what is the Lord doing, what's he bringing up. And it set a precedent for collaboration. Not, hey, you and me, we're going to decide. Right. And tell everybody they better get on board. Yeah. Yeah. That's awesome. That's huge. Great. All right. You ready for the next question? Yeah. Let's do it. Okay. This one comes from day 326. And the passage is James 4, 13 through 16. Back in James. Back in 11. James, the question reads, does James teach us that Christians should avoid planning too much or can we still schedule out our lives? So a very practical question. It's a very practical question. And it's valid. Let me read the text. It becomes very clear why this recaptan was asking this. Yep. First, 13, come now, you who say, today or tomorrow, we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit. Yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, if the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that. As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Yeah. Okay. This is such a good question. And I think that even just that that end of this, this section of verses, as it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. Really helps frame. Yes. What's going on? Yes. Because it's not about like, okay, my schedule is clear. And I'm only thinking about today. And I'm not planning ahead. I'm not, you know, thinking about anything else in the future. That is not at all what's happening. But it's this sense of arrogance around kind of I'm my own master of life. Yes. Yes. He was addressing arrogance, not organization in and of itself. Yeah. Like the arrogance is the problem. Not the organization or the planning. Right. And as a planner, in someone who loves organization, I appreciate that James. Thank you for not insulting the way that God made me. Good. I can go either way with the planning. No, I love to plan. But so the short answer to this question is, yes, please still make plans. Please still think ahead. Because in that, we're also get, you know, that's good stewardship. That is, that is making good use of the time that you have thinking through what you need to do. While also this is, I think, the key part is holding everything loosely because we don't know what tomorrow holds. And we're so much more fragile than we think we are. You know, like we have so much less control over our lives than I think oftentimes we want to assume or we want to kind of hold on to that. But we we're humans. We're not in control. God is in control. But he also gives us agency and he helps us as we think through the future and make plans. So we need to do both. Yeah, agreed. I think the cultural context here can be helpful. So many scholars agree that James was talking specifically about the merchants. And they conclude that because they see the words go spend a year trade and make a profit. And all of those words match the pattern of merchants who in ancient literature would travel from city to city to do business. So in the Greco Roman world, these merchants would set up a shop temporarily in a city, buy and sell goods. And okay, now I'm going to go the next city. And I've got a whole new batch of customers. And I'll just keep making money and making money and going. And this is going to work. That was kind of the belief. And the emphasis was my success depends on my willingness to hustle. Which I think is what that is relevant. Yeah, really relevant today because it's I'm going to succeed by using my own efforts. And I'm going to plan to succeed because I can plan to count on myself. And I'm going to get it done. And they're totally leaving God out of the picture. And that's the that's the arrogance that James is condemning. And I found that really convicting because it can be easy for me to say, okay, I've got all these things I need to do. And if I can just discipline myself to put them on the calendar, then I can do it. It'll be great. It's going to get done. Right. And you're only relying on yourself. And I'm only relying on myself and my willingness to plan. And that doesn't mean the planning is bad or that we shouldn't plan. But in my plans, I'm not making space to to be reliant on the spirit. Or even bringing those plans to God because this how I should be spending my week. I'm just trying to see how I can get everything that I need to get done done. And sometimes it's too many things. And I need to be seeking the Lord like, hey, what on this list needs to go? Yeah. Yeah. And I think in our world today, as much as we don't want to, it is important to remember our humanity in the sense that we are 100% dependent on God, whether we think that that's true or not. Yeah. You know, that is the reality. That's what we believe. And so our lives need to demonstrate that kind of dependence. And I think that that's a piece of what James is talking about here. Your fragile, you're a human. And you can't, you don't know the future. Yeah. God knows the future. The key is humble dependence. Like Proverbs 21 5 says the plans of the diligent surely lead to abundance. Jesus talks about counting the costs before building a tower. Paul planned his missionary journeys. Yes, exactly. Right. Yeah. There's positive examples of planning. But if we're planning without being dependent, we're missing the mark. We're we're falling short and we're taking steps toward arrogance because there's a presumption that I don't need God. Yeah. I can do it myself. Yeah. And so I think LB, we were talking with her earlier, she was saying how there's an element of perceived control. James is trying to address because the problem isn't that I can do it. The problem is that I think I can do it. I think I have this control. And what James is urging his audience to do is to recognize I don't have control. I don't have it all together. I can't do everything. I'm not superwoman or superman. We submit that shortcoming to the Lord and trust that he is the one who can provide and sustain and direct our steps. He's the one that control. Yeah. And I think I was just thinking like what's a kind of application point for myself or for us as readers. I think if let's say that you have some event coming up that you know like a trip next summer or something. Let's say it's to Hawaii. Yes, like there's that's great plan for the trip. Yet also as you're thinking about it as it comes up like hold that in the sense of okay God, if if something else needs to happen in here, I'm fine with that. Like I can deal with something like that being changed and altered because God has a different plan or better plan or something like that. So I got me too. That's great. We're about out of time. Okay. All right. Let's wrap it up. It was great deep diving with you Emma. I loved it. There's some good questions. I know very interesting and practical questions. So thanks for taking a deep dive with us. We'll see you next week as we continue to read, understand and love the Bible and the God who wrote it.