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James 4:13-14
13 Go to [age] now [nun], ye that say [lego], To day [semeron] or [kai] to morrow [aurion] we will go [poreuomai] into [eis] such [hode] a city [polis], and [kai] continue [poieo] [poieo] there [ekei] a [heis] year [eniautos], and [kai] buy and sell [emporeuomai] [emporeuomai], and [kai] get gain [kerdaino] [kerdaino]:
14 Whereas [hostis] ye know [epistamai] not [ou] what [ho] shall be on the morrow [aurion]. For [gar] what [poios] is your [humon] life [zoe]? It is [esti] even [gar] a vapour [atmis], that [pros] appeareth for [phaino] a little time [oligos], and [de] then [epeita] vanisheth away [aphanizo]. KJV-Interlinear
13 Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.' 14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. NASB
Presumptuousness is the sin of arrogant confidence that what you want or believe in life, is reality, as you prefer it.
It is the unreasonable expectation that life is going to be what you want it to be, with the indifferent attitude that there are no real uncertainties in life, and especially that life does not depend on God, but is somehow self-determined or a matter of some natural course of evolution.
The sun came up today, and yesterday, therefore it will certainly come up tomorrow and the next day as it has always come up in the past.
You are alive today, and you have every reason to believe that you will be alive tomorrow.
You made this amount of money today, and you will certainly make as much or more, next month or next year.
You have plans, and dreams and expectations for your life, and if you work hard, hustle smartly, use common sense, and perhaps have a little luck or some good connections, then your life will only get better and better.
On the surface, these ideas and attitudes seem very reasonable, responsible, and appropriate, and even non-selfish.
But, when you take God and Gods plan for you and especially for all of humanity, out of your equation for life, then you have crossed over into the realm of insulting God, but worse than that, you have presumed that your beliefs are better than Gods divine plan.
Humanity is nothing more than life inserted into a lump of dust. God took dust and has made many phenomenal people out of it. Some are breath-takingly beautiful, while most of us are common. Some have extraordinary talents, while most of us find difficulty in boiling water.
And in every case, not one of us can guarantee our next heartbeat, while most of us have plans and dreams and 'presumptions' that we will be around to make money next month, to pay off thirty year loans, to get new cars or stereos, to marry and raise a family, and work and retire at a ripe old and comfortable age.
And then, just because we have been sincere and reasonable throughout our life, we will most certainly go to heaven and be welcome and given more blessing, because we have tried to do our best in life.
And, we could not be more wrong.
The sin of presumption steers you away from your spiritual life. The sin of presumption creates indifference toward doctrine in your life.
The sin of presumption causes you to be your own authority in life, or your own right to determine what is correct and true, for you, without anyone else telling you what you can or cannot, or must or must not, think or do.
Certainly God, someone whom you have never seen or heard, but only have some writings that record various begets, and cool stories of parting water and Goliath victories, has no advice for you regarding your personal life, your work life, your social life, or anything in your day to day pursuit of success and happiness.
Certainly you, who are made of dust, subject to a limited life, always exposed to illness or injury, you who have come to the absolute understanding of life and its meaning, certainly you will live a life that is but a blink on the calendar of ancient and modern history, certainly you have no need for advice from anyone but celebrities, lyrics from popular songs, opinions of those whom you know, and all of the public opinions regarding the world in general.
But, as you drive down the road, you pass churches, hospitals, cemeteries, and many other things that point to a definite limit to your understanding, and ability, and control over life.
You give no thought that your entire existence is dependent on God, and on nothing else. That everything you have is courtesy of Gods grace, not your effort, charm, or good looks.
Everything you possess, beginning with your human life, to every component of your life, including all that you have come to know, comes to you courtesy of Gods infinite wisdom.
