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Failing to plan is a plan to fail?
In my last article I mentioned that I believe we should plan for things and not just wait for stuff to
happen. I also said that was the subject of a different article.
I am sure many of you have been waiting on the edge of your seats for me to get this article written.
Yeah, I know.... but here it is anyway. (Grin)
I have friends that are super planners. Everything is planned down to the last detail. I have other
friends that don't plan a thing. They just go through life drifting aimlessly and are always surprised
when something does not work out the way they wanted it to. For me, I fall somewhere in between.
So this week I thought we could take a couple minutes and look at what the bible says about planning.
The first scripture that I think about when thinking about planning is Luke 14:28 "Suppose one of
you wants to build a tower. Won't you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough
money". This scripture is part of a larger thought of counting the cost of following Jesus. But I think the
principle here applies to everything in life from switching jobs to buying a house or even getting
married. Planning and counting the cost goes hand in hand.
The next scripture that comes to mind is Proverbs 16:3 "Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans
will be established". God is with us. As long as we (and our plans) are committed to the Lord and they
are in keeping with his will He will bless them.
I would encourage you to read all of Proverbs 16. When you make you plans try not to hold on to them
so tightly that there is no room for God to move you around in his plans for you.
So here is something interesting to think about. Is asking God to lead you, guide you, open paths for
you, and being willing to follow that path wherever it takes you failing to plan? While I was in the Navy
we could change duty stations every 4 years. We did not make great plans on where we wanted to go
or what we wanted to do, instead Donna and I would pray to God and ask him to send us where He
needed us. Andrew and Jaime did the same thing when they were looking to become missionaries.
They prayed to God for guidance, approval and assistance. I think in these cases we counted the cost,
we willingly stepped out in faith trusting God to care for us.
With that I will conclude by saying I think there is room for super planners as long as they don't try to
interfere with God's plan for them. I think there is room for us that are a little looser with their plans as
long as we are open to the guidance God gives us. I don't think it is good to have no plans and drift
along hoping to get something out of life. As my old Master Chief told me on more than one occasion
"Failing to plan is a plan to fail"
In his service -Keith
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A Powerful Shadow?
Breathe in and breathe out. Place your hand a foot away from your
mouth. Do you feel the wind of your breath on your hand? How close do
you have to be to notice the smell of someone’s breath? If they had
garlic, you can be further away.
God’s Spirit is often referred to as the breath of God. And we received a
measure of God’s Spirit through God breathing into Adam, also when
Jesus breathed on the Apostles (John 20.22).
When Jesus went around miraculously healing people, he was showing
that he was full of God’s Spirit prepared to lead the people back into a
right relationship with God. Peter and the Apostles also had miraculous
healing ability through the power of God’s Spirit to confirm their message
was really from God.
God’s Spirit was so present that when they prayed the earth shook,
people were healed, and even the shadow of Peter might heal the
people. You might remember that a woman touched Jesus’ hem and was
healed, Jesus acknowledged that power went out from him to heal her.
I believe this shows us that God can work outside of the standard,
acceptable, religious formulae to heal, to bless, and to bring about
growth in God’s Kingdom.
What do you feel God is calling you to do that is different (that isn’t evil,
wrong, or inappropriate), but that God might use for Kingdom purposes?
Pray about it. If you still aren’t sure, seek wise counsel. And then, maybe
it is time to step forward to serve others in God’s love. What will God do
with your humble, yet bold, faith on behalf of your family, friends, and
neighbors?
Acts 5.12-16 - The Apostles Perform Miraculous Signs and Wonders
(NET)
“Now many miraculous signs and wonders came about among the
people through the hands of the apostles. By common consent they were
all meeting together in Solomon’s Portico. 13 None of the rest dared
to join them, but the people held them in high honor. 14 More and more
believers in the Lord were added to their number, crowds of both men
and women. 15 Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets, and
put them on cots and pallets, so that when Peter came by at least his
shadow would fall on some of them. 16 A crowd of people from the towns
around Jerusalem also came together, bringing the sick and those
troubled by unclean spirits. They were all being healed.”
-Andrew Hill