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In Order. Life Plans

June 8. Proverbs 16 – 18

 

The following process sounds so reasonable, so logical, so practical and yet it rarely works out: consider the end goal and work backward in order to make your plan to achieve your goal. Remember when you were a senior in High School or in College and you had your entire life planned out? How is life respecting your plan?

The Proverbs can help put perspective to making plans. Look at these verses and consider the following thoughts.

 

16:1 We can make our plans, but the final outcome is in God’s hands.

Commit your work to the Lord, then it will succeed.

We should make plans—counting on God to direct us.

17 The path of the godly leads away from evil; he who follows that path is safe.

25 Before every man there lies a wide and pleasant road he thinks is right, but it ends in death.

33 We toss the coin, but it is the Lord who controls its decision.

 

Perhaps a better way for making life plans would be this – rather than working for a specific goal (which in all likelihood will not be what is finally attained) but instead work towards a specific direction. Obviously the appropriate and satisfying goals will be along the way in the direction that you have chosen.

Now if you consider the truths contained in Proverbs 16 as related to making plans, the direction becomes clear – move towards God. Make that direction your plan for life; drawing closer to Him, knowing Him better, walking with Him, counting on Him, trusting Him, following Him. As you travel in that direction you will encounter His goodness and plan for your life along the way, and you will not be disappointed!

In the end, we will all recognize God’s sovereignty, so why not make plans to enjoy His goodness and promises rather than settling for a temporal goal that may never be attained, and if it is attained, the dream surrounding it usually turns out to have been better than the reality of it.

So make your life plan a desire to know God. Now take a step towards that desire. A small step. Now learn from that small step and take another. You now have a great plan for life that will take you further than you could have ever dreamed and it will be more rewarding than you could ever imagine possible.