by David Brenneman
Many plans are in a man's heart, but
the counsel of the Lord will stand
Proverbs 19:21.
As diligently as you plan, the future is a puzzle to all but God. Your supreme purpose, then, is to walk in harmony with the Savior by employing essential disciplines:
First, lay aside every encumbrance and sin. Willful disobedience and unproductive habits will hinder your spiritual growth. Ask the Father to help you rid yourself of these unnecessary weights.
Next, concentrate on endurance. Do not let disappointments or setbacks take you out of the race. Accept that they, too, are part
of the course God has divinely planned for you.
Most of all, focus on Jesus. Turn away from all that distracts you from Him. Cast your burdens on Him and look in steadfast faith to Him. Seek His face daily through personal prayer and sustained time in His Word.
A trusting, faithful, unwavering devotion to Christ will lighten
your load, equip you to handle the tough times, and guide you in
His will every day of your life, regardless of what happens. And He will take you further than you could ever have imagined or planned on your own.
Jesus, my life is in Your hands. Lead me me in Your perfect will. Amen. - Trusting God with Today, Dr. Charles Stanley.
We often make plans for the day, the week, the year and in some cases years down the road. Electronic calendars on devices are quite often fully replacing paper ones because the changes are so frequent and the sheer number of things is overwhelming otherwise.
Then, as well, there's those who aren't on a calendar at all. Retired and aren't putting a priority on most anything.
I really connected this verse to my calendar on my phone that I now also have as an electronic wall calendar. There is both a lot going on and yet really nothing. It's not like we either go anywhere special these days or are invited anywhere. So in some ways it's easier to be ready when God changes our plans.
It's also possible to get too introspective about all that's there in our calendars. I could easily clog it more by putting in more things that aren't the one-off's of when bills need paid.
Many families are stressed because of all that's in their calendars. Plans for this plans for that.
When I consider it all...there are times when an old television commercial comes to mind "Calgon take me away!" the idea behind the commercial was how you could get a peaceful respite from your stress filled day with their product.
This leads me to another passage.
“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalms 46:10.
Be still and know that He is God.
Read in the four Gospels and look for all the many times Jesus took the Disciples aside to stop n rest away from their ministry. Of how many times Jesus left them to go just be with His Father. We only see what's written in the Gospels but as John said at the end of his Gospel, much much more happened that wasn't written.
Cease striving and know that I am God.
Modernized: Cease with stressing out and know that I am God, I got your back. I have a wonderful plan for your life. Trust Me.
Breathe. I have told this to myself and countless others when trying to get them or myself to the point of remembering to be still and know that He is God.
My Dear Reader, take another quote from the world and give it a Biblical twist. Don't sweat the small stuff when in God's eyes everything is small stuff. Dr. Stanley was very adamant about the Biblical truth that God does not have problems only situations. A problem can be emotionally charged, can be over thought, a grand surprise. A situation is something that just is and with Jesus nothing was a surprise. Jesus doesn't need to sit down to figure out what to do, how to do, or when and where to do. He always sees the end from the beginning. Every variation thereof.
Breathe. Don't allow the world to dictate your calendar. Don't really let you dictate your calendar. You who are in Christ are to live by His calendar for you. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Set your mind on the things that are above and not on the things that are of this world.
Lastly, be assured that the world is watching you. If you have a habit of meeting some place in His Name and then start treating it as optional the world is going to notice. If you are not showing your commitment to God's plans for you then it will be noticed. If you're not trusting in the Lord with all your heart And are indeed leaning on your own understanding the world is going to notice.
Don't let your plans push His plan aside in your life. We will give an account of our lives before Him one day and all our plans that were not His will be evident and turned to ashes.
"Commit your works to the Lord And your plans will be established." Proverbs 16:3.
"Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it." Psalms 37:5.
"Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken." Psalms 55:22.
Take these thoughts an look at what Jesus said here:
"Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds." Matthew 16:24-27.
All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
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