Let's Go Back to the Bible

Whatcha Got Planned?

Our calendars are full.  Our schedules are crazy.  We are busy, busy people.  How do you decide what goes on your calendar and what does not?  How do you decide if your schedule has room for a new entry or not?  Here’s how too many make their plans:

“Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit” (James 4:13).  What’s wrong with this kind of planning?  There’s a critical element missing!

We plan WHEN we are going to do something — “We will…today or tomorrow.” We pick the year, the month, the week, the day and the time.  In fact, we even leave some flexibility in the schedule when we can.  Whatever is best for us!

We plan WHERE we are going to do something — “We will…go to such and such a city.” We pick the country, state, city…the exact destination…the one of our choosing.  Whatever is best for us!

We plan HOW LONG we are going to do something — “We will…spend a year there.” We pick the number of years, months, weeks, days, hours and minutes something should last.  We know how much time a task should take or how much we are willing to invest.  Whatever is best for us!

We plan WHAT we are going to do — “We will…buy and sell.” We pick what we want to do with our lives — our careers, our hobbies, our interests, etc.  Our lives reflect our likes and dislikes.  Whatever is best for us!

We plan WHY we are going to do something — “We will…make a profit.” We pick, as much as we’re able, the end result that we think is the most ideal for our lives, our schedules and our preferences.  Whatever is best for us!

But, in all of this, there is a critical element missing in our planning.  We are doing all of the planning by ourselves and for ourselves.  We are planning as if we know with certainty all of the days and activities the future holds, when in reality we do not even “know what will happen tomorrow” (4:14).

The key, the focus, the guide, the critical element that must rule our hearts and shape our planning is, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that” (4:15).  Plans without God are plans that are not worth making! We do not know anything about the future, but God knows everything! “If the Lord wills” is not a magic formula that we must always verbalize, but it is the expression of a humble heart that lets God take the lead!  Meditate on Proverbs 3:5-6.