“The days of our
lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet
their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Who
knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of You, so is Your wrath. So
teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” ~ Psalm
90:10-12 (NKJV)
2015 looms large. Do I make plans for the New Year? Do I sit
down and envision the future and make a list of things to do and ambitions to
accomplish? Certainly there are desires in my head that I want to see come to
fruition. What did I plan for 2014? Did any of that turn out? And of what is
left undone - do I move those things out into next year or do I give up on them
altogether and push the reset button and start afresh?
If I focus on present circumstances alone I lose sight of
what has led up to now. How does the saying go; “the past is prologue …”? Is a
one year segment the way that God views the continuum of my life? On reflection
that notion doesn’t seem reasonable. Why would the God of eternity care about a
one year segment in the context of His plan for my life? What is a year or any
segment of time to Him? Why is it important to me?
Haven’t I learned to be more of a man of the moment leaning
on God’s wisdom to guide my steps – to simply DO THE NEXT THING? Doesn’t Proverbs
3:5-6 make this clear; “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and
He will make your paths straight.” ?
Am I making a mistake setting goals that rely on what I can
do versus what He can do or should there be a union in our effort? Do I relegate to
Him only the things that I believe I cannot achieve myself and launch them in
His general direction via prayer? Am I minimizing or, worse, marginalizing God with my puny list of
resolutions? I need balance.
What I do certainly matters to God. My work matters to God. There
are things I must DO. The Hebrew word for work in the Bible (“avodah”) is used
interchangeably to mean both work and worship. It’s where we get the modern
word “vocation”. Spiritual harmony suggests that there be a mingling of what I
do and what God has in mind. Both must occupy the same time. I know that my
life in Christ is an invitation to become a friend and co-worker with God and
so my ambitions really need to reflect that mind-set … that heart-set. My work
is worship ~ My plans are a devotional.
And what of the setbacks I have experienced and the
struggles that have risen up to discourage me? Not long ago I was experiencing
just such a discouraging episode and as I began to give in to self-pity a
gentle whisper reminded me that He suffered much more than this and He suffered
it for me and that His response was to love those who scorned Him. The words of
Philippians 3:10 exploded in my heart; “that I may know Him and the power of
His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being transformed by
His death.” Similar sentiment is conveyed in 1 Peter 4:12-13. This is relevant
as we struggle with the pursuit of visions and set goals and endeavor toward
anything worthy. There will be struggles, pain, loss and discouragement. Authentic testimonies will be forged that will draw men toward the TRUTH.
Things don’t always go as we plan them. General Eisenhower
said, “Plans are worthless but planning is everything.” Whether Von Clausewitz
, Von Moltke, Napoleon or Caesar said it, experienced military strategists will
agree that “no battle plan survives first contact with the enemy.” And we
indeed have an adversary.
So, as plans and aspirations begin to sprout with the New
Year approaching I believe that there are certain foundational bases that may
need attention. First things first; whose plan are we talking about? Bearing
our cross is submission to “His” plan.
Jesus puts it this way in Luke 14:26-33 (NKJV); “If anyone
comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children,
brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My
disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be
My disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit
down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— lest, after
he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to
mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? Or what
king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and
consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him
with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he
sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you
does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” He’s talking about the plans of men … my
plans ... your plans.
The two greatest variables in any plan are material resources
and time. Accepting for a moment that we have access to God’s unlimited
material resources, we, living in time, must contend with that most precious of resources
(time) and the Bible provides guidance on that.
Ephesians 5:14-16 (NKJV); “Therefore He says: “Awake, you
who sleep, Arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” See then that you walk
circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming
the time, because the days are evil.”
Colossians 4:1-5 (NKJV); “Masters, give
your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in
heaven. Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving;
meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word,
to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make
it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your
speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you
ought to answer each one.”
The definitions of redeeming/redemption are many;
§
exchange for something of more value,
§
to make (something that is bad, unpleasant,
etc.) better or more acceptable,
§
to exchange for money or to buy back, repurchase,
§
to free from what distresses
or harms: as to free from captivity by payment of ransom,
§
to extricate from
or help to overcome something detrimental,
§
to change for the better: reform, repair, restore,
§
to make good.
The days are indeed evil, now more than at any other time in
history because they seek to spirit away our time and distract our attention.
Thanks to electronic devices and an amplitude of information, innuendo and
gossip the onslaught is merciless. Truth
is a needle in a haystack of relativist chaff.
So as we consider the future we would be wise to consider
the greater plan of which we are a part – to which we have submitted - if we are
Christian. We should consider our portion in it and look to direct our paths
with all expectation of the good outcome that He has in mind and be willingly surrendered to
it.
Joshua 3:5 is most encouraging; “Consecrate yours, for
tomorrow the Lord will do amazing things among you.” Consecrate; to set aside
for a sacred purpose, devoted to a higher calling or standard, designated for
noble purpose, set apart for what is goodness and virtue.
With all of this as a runway for your mind; what are some outlandish
outcomes that might manifest in and from your life if God alone was the reason
for them coming to fruition. These are things you could never muster up for
accomplishment. Allow yourself to open up and breathe in what He has in mind
for 2015 and beyond. Tell Him that you are ready to join Him as He invites you into that.
What enters your heart? What might you dare to declare? What
dare you claim in His name? This is the basis for a great plan. Look back and
see what He has done that you didn’t orchestrate of yourself. In those things
you will find the foundations of a vision to pray upon. Miracles yet to be. State
the God-sized outcome as a fact - as though it already is accomplished and you
are describing its reality in detail. Open up, invite Him in, breathe in the
vision, allow it to be big and ridiculously impossible for you or any man to
do.
Redeem the time!
Blessings,
Bill