Monday, January 12, 2009

Biblical Planning

Plans
Every January many people make plans to do better with their life. The goals are often praiseworthy but commitment to them wane by the end of the month. We are quickly heading toward the end of January and so I thought it might be a nice time to begin to look at those plans. It will be our topic for the next few weeks.


  • Is it alright to make plans biblically?

Many question whether or not a person should make plans at all. Verses such as, James 4:13-5:1 " Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit";14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.15 Instead you ought to say," If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that."16 But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. "NKJV cause some to wonder if it is wrong to even make plans. Some people walk away with the impression that James is saying we should not make plans for our life. Is he really saying that? Looking at verse 15 it seems he is really saying, God is the author of life and our plans may be good, but we must not act like they are unchangable by His hand. How sad it is that some have taken this verse and a few others to mean that they should simply float through life with no goals. It is always a good idea to make sure we read the entire context and read the whole counsel of God on a subject. We’ll be looking t a lot of verses about planning and goals in the coming days.


  • God’s plans for us
    A famous verse that has been a comfort to me over the years is Jeremiah 29:11-14 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.14 I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive. NKJV"


The entire chapter shows that Israel had strayed from the Lord. God was going to allow them to be taken over by another country….but in the end He would cause them to desire Him again. He was not and would not forsake them….rather He would woo them back to Himself. When they sought Him they would find Him. The NLT uses the word plans instead of thoughts. We form our plans in our thoughts and this Scripture shows that God’s people were on His mind and He had good plans for them even though they were going through some hard things because of their own doings at the moment. Parents of older children may be able tot relate to this verse a little easier than young people. There are times when parents have loved and given to their children only to be rejected or neglected by them. The pain can be overwhelming….but even through that pain most parents still desire their child’s good and restored relationship.
God has plans and he encourages us to make plans.