Making Plans…

Proverbs 14:22 (NIV)

Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.

A contrast of actions is developed in our Verse of the Day. It speaks to the motives of our hearts … or as Scripture would say – the inclination of the thoughts of our hearts when we are making plans in life. When we evaluate our thought processes before an action is taken, there are some generally predictable outcomes associated with them. And with concise precision, King Solomon looks at those outcomes before we ever engage the mental strategies we have formulated with good or evil intentions.

Those who plot evil … those who strategize their actions and make their plans with evil intent … are people who have gone astray. They are in rebellion against God and His will. They are not motivated by love. Love does no harm to a neighbor! Those who devise evil schemes are opposed to God as well as against other people. They are not walking in love; rather, they are in rebellion. As John wrote, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.” (Cf. 1 John 4:20)

But those who seek good for others … those who are concerned about others and put their needs before their own … these are the ones who plan what is good! They delight in what will edify and build up another person. They seek to be an encourager of faith through the example of love. As Paul urged, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” (Cf. Philippians 2:3-4) In doing so, we will find love and faithfulness in our hearts.

Proverbs 21:29-30 (NIV)

The wicked put up a bold front, but the upright give thought to their ways. There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

We can make our own plans, but the Lord gives the right answer. People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives. Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. The Lord has made everything for His own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster. The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished. Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil. ~ Proverbs 16:1-6

What Is Your Purpose?

Proverbs 19:20-21 (NIV)

Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise. Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.

Our Verse of the Day affords a great truth that I want to share. I especially want to draw your attention to Verse 21 which reads: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.” When we make plans for our lives without spending time with God in prayer and seeking His wisdom, I think we lack understanding of “purpose” when it comes to our relationship with Him. Any of us can have great ideas and goals for what we want to accomplish in life, but I believe it would behoove us to find out from God what He wants us to spend our time, talents, and treasures pursuing. After all, it is ultimately His purpose for each of us that will prevail. I think we could avoid a lot of trouble and heartache running down rabbit trails and winding up on dead ends if we would but “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and trust that all the other things of life will be given to us as well.” (Cf. Matthew 6:33)

It probably goes without saying that it is insightful to listen to advice and gain wisdom from others. Likewise, to accept discipline or correction from another can be gift in disguise. As King Solomon observed: “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Cf. Proverbs 15:22) And he noted, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” (Cf. Proverbs 27:17) Indeed, the Book of Proverbs contains many such nuggets of wisdom to instruct us and guide us through our walks of life; and yet, I sense we too often miss the reason for our personal plans and dreams: To accomplish God’s purpose for our lives … for His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Perhaps, today, we need to be reminded that we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Cf. Ephesians 2:10)

What God desires … what He has ordained … what He has purposed will ultimately be done! Pharaoh would not listen to Moses and Aaron nor receive their correction … for his heart was unyielding. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have spared you for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my Name might be proclaimed in all the earth. (Cf. Exodus 9:13-16) Although Pharaoh had other plans in his heart, as we now know, the purpose of the Lord prevailed. Over 3400 years later, His Name, Yahweh, is still proclaimed in all the earth because of the miracles He performed to accomplish His purpose!

Think about that story for a moment. God manifested His supernatural power, even through human beings like Moses and Pharaoh, to accomplish His purpose … His will. And the Bible is full of these stories. Indeed, the Bible reveals a complete narrative – the story of human redemption from beginning to end. I believe our salvation … our eternal life … is the revealed purpose of God! Indeed, this is the reason God sent His one and only Son into the world … to redeem and save the world through Him. And so, I think it follows that the purpose of our plans should align with His purpose of redemption as well. Consider the following passages of scripture:

John 6:29 (NIV)

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the One He has sent.”

2 Corinthians 17-20 (NIV)

¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ²Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing and perfect will.

Colossians 3:17; 23-24 (NIV)

¹⁷And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

²³Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Jesus Christ you are serving.

Regardless of what you and I choose to do for a vocation … regardless of the plans we make for our lives … regardless of where we were born or where we live – our families or spouses or friends; the purpose of our time, talent, and treasure is to fulfill the purposes of God … redemption and reconciliation! Everything we plan to do in life should be for His glory … to fulfill the two great commandments: to love Him and to love one another. Ask yourself: Do my plans for life encompass the ministry of reconciliation? Do my plans for life direct me to offer myself as a living sacrifice to others? Do my plans for life assure that I will work with all my heart to serve the Lord Jesus Christ? If these are your pursuits, you will be counted among the wise. Vocations, locations, and relations; these are merely the contexts in which we live out our plans. But we know God will use them so that His purposes will prevail in our lives. Yes, God will cause all things to work together for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. (Cf. Romans 8:28)

Well, I hope in addition to the little nuggets of wisdom shared here, you will seek and find the greater storehouses of knowledge and understanding during your Bible reading. And like Paul, “I pray and will continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of His holy people in the Kingdom of Light. For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the Kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Cf. Colossians 1:9-14) Yes, this IS the Lord’s purpose….

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

Planning Ahead…

Proverbs 27:1 (NIV)

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

Our Verse of the Day speaks to the uncertainty of life. Too often, we assume that the physical life we experience in the here and now will continue without interruption and without interference. But as we have observed over the past couple of years, the unknown continues to grab our attention and cause us to question what the future holds. It reminds us that life is uncertain … our future is not guaranteed. It admonishes us to not be arrogant or make too many assumptions about our lives … because we truly do not know what a day may bring. The Apostle James, perhaps, had this proverb in mind when he wrote:

James 4:13-17 (NIV)

¹³Now 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.” ¹⁴Why, 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. ¹⁵Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” ¹⁶As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. ¹⁷If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

Did you see the caveat in Verse 17? There is a good that we know we ought to be about doing; but failure to do it puts us in a status of sin … of missing the mark and high calling of God. I think what James is saying here it that our planning for the future should not set aside or ignore the good works that God has purposed in advance for us to do. We should be incorporating our Kingdom assignments into everything we do on a daily basis … for we do not even know what will happen tomorrow.

I do not believe this passage is denouncing thoughtful “planning” for the future; rather, James is focused on an arrogant attitude and not being mindful of God in our planning. It is the boastful, prideful attitude of an invincible spirit that James calls into question. “Your life is but a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” We need to keep perspective … a view of life that is dependent upon the grace of God working in us and through us. Indeed, our plans should be aligned with God … with His Will and His Word as we endeavor to accomplish the purposes for which He created us. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Cf. Ephesians 2:10) Yes, this should be the basis of our planning – completing the good works which God created us in Christ Jesus to do….

So, the key point here is that tomorrow is not promised to any of us, so we are to make the most of our time here on earth … serving God and His Kingdom. As Paul advised; “Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Cf. Ephesians 5:15-17) Likewise, Paul tells us: “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Cf. Colossians 4:5-6)

Heavenly Father, I pray this morning that we will develop a balanced view of ourselves and the lives that you have given us. Give us perspective and wisdom to understand that our physical lives are but a vapor … a mist. Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Cf. Psalm 90:12) For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. (Cf. 1 Timothy 6:7) Yes, I pray that we would spend less time planning for the temporal and devote more time engaging in the eternal. I pray, O Lord, that we would avail ourselves more for the purposes of your Kingdom … to multiply the inheritance of your grace and salvation … to build up treasure in heaven that will never fail or be taken! Indeed, the true riches are the souls of those you bring into our lives and lead to your throne of grace … where you will encounter them with your presence … to heal and to redeem and to restore. O Lord, may we conform our life plans to your purposes. Yes, Lord, change our hearts and our mindsets to will and to act in order to fulfill Your good purpose. (Cf. Philippians 2:13) And I ask all these things in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

So Now You Know…

Have a Blessed Day!

Here are some additional verses for you to consider as you begin your day:

Psalm 37:23-24 (NLT)

The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.

Proverbs 19:20-21 (NLT)

Get all the advice and instruction you can, so you will be wise the rest of your life.You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

Isaiah 48:17 (NLT)

This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is good for you and leads you along the paths you should follow.