HAVE YOU MADE YOUR PLANS?

"Commit your plans to the Lord and you will succeed!"

Prov 16:3

I have encountered many people who live life day-to-day and call it faith. They use scripture to say do not worry about tomorrow, and then prefer not to think about it. They rationalise it by thinking that GOD knows what will happen and He will look out for us, which is true, but it's only half the story.

I ask myself; is this the way that GOD would have us wisely manage His resources? Is time not the rarest resource we have? When we lose loved ones, a common feeling is that we wish we could have had more time with them. Time to learn, time to tell how much we loved them, time just to be together. So how can we make the best use of this time?

The scripture from Proverbs starts off by telling us to commit our plans. That means... we probably need to be making plans! Logically, if you don't have plans, you can't commit them to the Lord.  So, is this in contradiction to the scripture in Mat 6:34? I don't think so, the Bible clearly tells us not to worry and not to be anxious but this doesn't mean that we shouldn't have plans.  The rest of the scripture in v34 goes on to say that today has enough concerns for itself.  In other words, the scripture is saying that our focus should be on today.  But... then why make plans for tomorrow?

All GOD needs is your obedience

"In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father" 

Mat 5:16

GOD wants to perform miracles through us!  I sometimes struggle with this concept, because I think that the sin in my life precludes me from being used by GOD.  I think that I need to be more 'righteous' or I think that I don't deserve to see miracles like that!

I was thinking these exact thoughts recently when GOD spoke to me and said "Tim, you don't perform the miracle, I do."  This shook me for two reasons:  firstly, in not expecting miracles due to my own faults I was assuming that I would be doing the healing.  Secondly, GOD truly wants to use us in our brokeness.

Why?  Why would GOD use me when I am broken?

FOCUS ON TODAY

"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes."

Matthew 6:34

 

After having seen Louie Giglio's Idescribable several times, I am now reading the book by the same title that he co-authored with Matt Redman.  I was awed by the DVD, and I'm even more awed by the book!  It amazed me that GOD has created so much, yet still wants a personal relationship with me.  

With the recent space jump, by Felix Baumgartner, I was struck by the amount of time, energy, resources and money that must have been invested into getting one man to the ends of our atmosphere.  Hundreds of people, millions of dollars, expensive machinery and technology, so that one man could be elevated to 39km above the earth's surface - only to jump back down again.

It seems huge to us - because it is huge to us.  But to GOD, it's nothing major at all.

MANNA FOR TODAY

 

"You can be sure that God will take care of everything you need, his generosity exceeding even yours in the glory that pours from Jesus."

 Phil 4:19

It seems that one of my biggest faith challenges is putting my Faith in GOD for my everyday needs.  I'm good at trusting Him for the future, but when it arrives... today... I struggle.  I keep thinking that I need to make ends meet, I need to invest my strength and I need to take care of today.  I think that GOD will take care of tomorrow, and I will take care of today.   The result is that I feel anxious, unsettled and cannot rest in GOD's presence.

THE POWER OF YAHWEH

"You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it."

John 14:14 

 

In the early Hebrew texts we read of two distinct names for GOD: Elohim and Yahweh.  If you look in your Bible at Genesis 1, you will see that there are no references to LORD (Yahweh), only GOD (Elohim).  Then, if you turn to Genesis 2, there is the introduction of LORD (Yahweh), and it's a different creation story to Genesis 1.  This is because GOD had revealed himself to two different groups of people who eventually united under the Hebrew nation.  It's not because they worshipped different GODs, but because they realised that they worshipped the same GOD.