In the Apostle James' New Testament epistle, one of the specific groups that he addressed were merchants who were making plans for their businesses. While there was nothing intrinsically wrong with their desires to travel and make a profit, what James pointed out and rebuked was their desire to do so without the direction and leading of God. What he rebuked was their internal underlying arrogance that their external actions resulted from. And he goes on to point out that a failure to submit our plans to God, no matter how big or small, is not just a foolish way to live but a sinful one.

Today the command for us is the same. We are called to submit our lives to God. To live consistently with the mentality that we will carry out individual actions or plans only "If the Lord wills." And to prepare for 2020 through prayerful submission of our lives to Him.