Thursday, September 28, 2017

Making Plans

Thursday, September 28, 2017
Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year.  We will do business there and make a profit.”  How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow?  Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.  What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.”  Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.  James 4:13-16(NLT)
A long-time and good friend of mine, Dr. Don McCutcheon recently posted a picture of he and his fiancée, Debbie.  It was an announcement of their engagement.  Naturally I asked him:  When’s the big day?  His reply was nothing short of what I’ve come to love and respect about my Godly friend; he began his response with:  Lord willing….   
And then, today, the Apostle James showed-up in my inbox. 
I love that about God’s timing.  Sometimes I read a Bible passage and later that day or the next, a challenge shows up to reinforce the message of what I’ve learned.  Sometimes a challenge shows up and then later I read Scripture which reminds me God wrote it through the hand of a prophet ages ago, and now twenty or thirty centuries later God places it on my reading plan as a reminder that He is sovereign and can handle my battles.  Either way – before or after – I am blessed with the comfort that God has always had my back!
And that (as always) begs the questions…do I have His…and am I listening and submitting to His leadingAre my plans made Lord willing?
James, the apostle and half-brother of Jesus, understood he was not in charge of the universe; he didn’t even claim to be in charge of his life as a whole, or the next ten minutes.  His plans were made with the proviso that everything was subject to the will of God; he was ready for change at a moment’s notice…or with no notice.  When you start your day or any project with Lord willing, it means you’ve accepted having God make the major decisions.     
There is a marked difference between having confidence and living-in confidence.  Having confidence in self (the product of your will), means you know you’re up to the task and your strength will accomplish that which you’ve planned...the polar opposite is living-in confidence.  The latter is a matter of settled choice that, having begun in prayer and study of God’s Word, you placed your will second to His will; you have become confidently-assured in the knowledge that God will guide you to His perfect outcome for you and His Kingdom. 
That is living Lord willing!

For You Today

I have always had the free will to choose my will, making plans my way; that is God’s gift to us all.  In my case (and perhaps in yours as well), every time I chose my will over God’s ways I have made a mess of things.
The best choice I can make with my will is to surrender it to His!
You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road…have a blessed day!


[1] Title Image: Courtesy:  Pixabay.com

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