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We all love to act like we will make it to a ripe old age. We plan our careers, our retirement, and our lives as though we were guaranteed to be around until the day of our choosing. We also act as if our lives, in and of themselves, and our action will be remembered by all generations to come. Verse 14 reminds us what our lives really are, Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. We must remember that our lives are limited but they are meant to have purpose. The key is to remember that the purpose is designed by God and to be executed for His eternal glory, not ours. In Francis Chan’s book, “Crazy Love”, he reminded me that in 50 years after my death no one but my direct descendants will even remember that a guy named Dino ever even lived here. However, the influence of my life through the power of God can have a significant impact in the world I leave behind, especially in the lives of those I directly influence to future generations.
Daily Devotion 
Dino, you and I have found a similar love beyond wine…James. I can’t wait to meet him. It doesn’t matter how many times I read this dang book, there is always something new, encouragement, reprimanding etc… in it. I’m actually glad I’m a day behind today, because I listened to Jamie’s message on Moses yesterday morning, and Moses’s story is an example of what James is talking about here. The message is awesome, and would suggest everyone listen to it, but the gist of it God’s timing. I take my own life as an example. I know that I’ve been given a gift and that from a very young age, God has been guiding me along the path of using that gift. But I kept trying to make it happen my way or the way that all the experts say you have to do it in order to make it happen….and surprise! Didn’t quite work that way. The main thing Jamie was saying was, look, you may feel that God has called you to something, so you try everything that you know how to do to make it happen. If it doesn’t work, then apparently it’s not God’s timing. Apparently, God wasn’t ready for me to get this career going just yet. Often times, God has to break us of our own selves to get us out of the way so he can actually use us. That’s what he did with Moses. We forget that Moses was an Egyptian prince. That’s like being the VP of the US. He was a hotshot of the most powerful nation at the time. He was buff, brawny and successful military campaigner. Seems like the perfect guy to lead the Jews out of captivity. Except for the minor detail that it would’ve been on his own strength. So he murders a guy and goes into exile. He accepts obscurity. It was during this time that he and God had a ton of conversations. Only after this time was God able to use him as his instrument to get accomplished what he wanted Moses to do. And God had to do the same with me before the career could really get moving.
So when James writes, “And now I have a word for you who brashly announce, “Today—at the latest, tomorrow—we’re off to such and such a city for the year. We’re going to start a business and make a lot of money.” You don’t know the first thing about tomorrow. You’re nothing but a wisp of fog, catching a brief bit of sun before disappearing. Instead, make it a habit to say, “If the Master wills it and we’re still alive, we’ll do this or that.” it points to this idea that God’s timing is always on time. We can make our plans, we can do our thing, but until God makes it happen, it just won’t happen.
Jamie puts this much more eloquently, but alas…my futile attempt:)