The “One-A-Week Challenge” Week 10
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord.
“Plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
What are you planning today? If you are like me, you spend some time each week or day planning what lies ahead. I get to my office each morning and glance at my day’s agenda and then set out to accomplish all that is there. It usually works pretty well because I have learned (most time) to, as Margaret Thatcher is credited with saying, “Plan your work for today and everyday, then work your plan.” We have all heard this in one form or another and have tried to implement this tactic.
There are only three probable places we find ourselves in life. I heard someone say, we are either drifting, driven, or directed. The truth is we all find ourselves in one or more of these places from time to time.
When one is drifting he is influenced greatly by the circumstances. Picture a person floating in a tube on the lake on a calm day. As long as there is no wind or boats or anything else his drifting is very pleasurable. Now picture a storm building or a few boats speeding by this person and realize that everything about his situation is changing. Which ever way the wind blows or the waves push him he will go. This person is controlled by the circumstances!
A driven person fundamentally acts and believes he is completely in control. He drives himself wherever he wants. This person might be highly successful, but the truth of the matter is he can only drive so far. Most driven people find themselves driven in only one area of their life and it is usually in their professional life. They work hard and achieve a measure of success, but the time comes when they feel like they have earned the right to ease up a bit and this easing usually causes them to fall back into drifting.
A directed person is one who is intentionally aware that he is directed by someone larger than himself. In the purest sense he knows that God is in control and is directing him from the front. The director always leads from the front. The bible is replete with descriptions and examples of this style of God’s leadership for our lives. Jesus said “Follow Me” no fewer than 14 times in the New Testament.
The verse this week clearly points out three things:
1. God knows the plans He has for us. This is God’s plan. He is the architect of the plan. The plan has been fully developed and because of this God is willing to declare it to you through His Word. (Psalm 1:6)
2. His plans are for His glory and our good. His plan will protect you and never harm you. Everywhere God directs us we can know that He is in front of us. He is both our protector and provision.
3. The Plan of God is both for you now and in the future. The beauty of the Christian life is that we are never alone. He gives us hope in the day-to-day struggles and He reminds us of our future. He is in control.
When you find yourself adrift remember God has a plan. When you are driving yourself, be careful and remember the only plan that works is the one you know certainly comes from God. Yes, He has a plan!