Plans

My son (Caleb) is getting married this March, so we are making plans to spend some time together as father and son, where I share valuable lessons with him before he walks down the aisle and starts his life with his wife. I want him to know what to do as a Christian man and husband, and I plan to share some things I did right, and some things I did wrong. My plan is to help him make plans that are going to help him and his bride follow God's leading for their marriage!

We make plans all the time, don't we? We plan for groceries, work schedules, kids pick-up at school, weekly workloads, traveling, family time, meetings, leisure activities...I could plan on listing other examples and go on for a long time. Right now, I am planning out the rest of my workweek, planning for son's surgery this week (Nathan tore his ACL in his right knee), planning to go to an Alabama game next week, planning for church needs this Sunday, and I'm even starting on planning for small groups in the spring of 2023. The Bible has a lot to say about the plans we make and/or the plans God has for us. If we aren't careful, we can make plans and then ask God for His approval and blessing - which means we are trying to plan things and convince Him to go along with it. But the book of Proverbs make it clear to us Who is really in charge of what happens in our life...and just in case you're wondering, it's not us. Usually, I would give you one verse and then focus on that, but for this week, I think it's appropriate to give you a few. Take time to read each of them, and then plan to do what the Bible says to do. Don't just read them, but take them in and let them change you...as they help you change who makes the plans in your life:

• "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." (Proverbs 15:22

• "Commit to the LORD what you do, and your plans will succeed." (Proverbs 16:3)

• "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."(Proverbs 16:9)

• "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails." (Proverbs 19:21)

If you're noticing a pattern here, you're on the right track - that was my plan all along. Whenever we think about what direction our life should go, I think it's important to be organized and focused. We should know what we are doing so we can be good stewards with the time God has given us, we should be looking to live life in a way that's pleasing to Him, and we should be wanting to live with excellence. But, the danger occurs when WE are the one who decides what we do, instead of allowing God to lead us to do what HE wants us to do. In the past, I have made the mistake of trying to decide what I should do and then later considering what God would've wanted me to do. That's when I started asking God to rescue me from the mess I got myself into. Life has gone much better for me when I've stopped and asked God what I should do, and then waited for Him to answer before I moved. I could've saved myself a lot of heartache by checking with Him first. I know that now, and I hope this helps you think about doing that. I hope that my mistake(s) help prevent you from making them, and hope it helps you plan to ask God for His leading in your life. As you pray this week, I want to ask you one question:

What are you planning to do that you need to be praying about first?!?