welcome to today's encouragement from our daily bread our devotional today titled plans and Providence was written by Glenn packiam
 in 2000 and up start company operating on a movie rental by mail system offered to sell their company for 50 million dollars to Blockbuster the whole movies and video game rentals King at the time Netflix had roughly 300,000 subscribers while Blockbuster had millions and millions of them Blockbuster passed on the opportunity to purchase their little competitor the result today Netflix has more than 180 million subscribers and is worth nearly two hundred billion dollars as for Blockbuster well it went by fast
 none of us can predict the future we are tempted to believe that we're in control of our lives and that our plans for the future will succeed but James 4:14 says you are a Mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes life is brief quick and more fragile than we realize planning is necessary but the sin of presumption is the assumption that we are in control that's why James warns us not to boast in our arrogant schemes we're all such boasting is evil the way to avoid this sinful practice is through grateful participation with God
 gratitude reminds us that he's the source of every good and perfect gift then when we come to God we ask him not simply to bless our present and future plans but to help us join him and what he's doing this is what it means to pray if it is the Lord's will
today's our daily bread devotional scripture reading is from James Chapter 4 verses 13 through 17
 now listen you who say today or tomorrow we will go to this or that City spend a year there carry on business and make money 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 and said you ought to say if it is the Lord's will we will live and do this or that as it is you boast in your arrogance schemes all such boasting is evil if anyone there knows the good they ought to do you and doesn't do it it is sin for them
 now let's pray
 dear Jesus we lay down our plans fears and longings to you we want to participate with you and not be presumptuous or even passive would you help us to put our trust in you because we know that you will never fail and it's in Jesus name that we pray amen
 today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries