“The plans of the diligent, lead surely to abundance” (Proverbs 21:5)
Like many of you, I have been gifted with being organized.
Of course in my sin that can also be a curse or a sin itself.
My problem has always been I run off with my head down believing that it is MY mind and energy that will save the day when in fact only Christ can lead me through my challenges.
I plan, my plans are frustrated or fall apart and my stress and frustration hit the roof. Subsequently, I accomplish very little for the Kingdom and myself.
If this is you now is a good time to reflect on your relationship with Christ and how you can include Him in your daily decision making.
How to Plan Wickedly Well - Marshall Segall
"This time of year, as the leaves begin to change color and normal schedules emerge and blossom again, we often stop to make plans for the months ahead. The slower pace and irregular rhythms of summer are giving way to the steady beats of work, school, and church life. This changing of the seasons presents a crossroads where it’s natural to stop and revisit what, why, how, and how often we do all that we do.
And it’s good to plan. “The plans of the diligent,” God himself tells us, “lead surely to abundance” (Proverbs 21:5). He sends us to study the ant:
Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler,
she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest. (Proverbs 6:6–8)
In other words, she plans and works ahead, like any wise person will.
And yet our planning, even our careful and intentional planning, can be quietly wicked. It might look like we have everything figured out and put together, but in reality our plans are foolish and offensive. Listen to the apostle James’s warning:
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit” — yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13–15)
Good and Wicked Planning
In this part of his letter, James confronts the seemingly successful men of his day. In the next few verses, he goes on to say, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. . . . You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence” (James 5:1, 5). But before he gets to their greed and self-gratification, he exposes their arrogance. Their success has made them think they know and control their futures.
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit.” (James 4:13)..." from the article: How to Plan Wickedly Well
Marshall Segal serves as President & CEO of Desiring God. He’s the author of Not Yet Married: The Pursuit of Joy in Singleness & Dating. He graduated from Bethlehem College and Seminary, and serves as deacon at Cities Church. He and his wife, Faye, have three children and live in Minneapolis.
Comments