Goals and plans

"Commit to the Lord whatever 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

This Wednesday, our prayer topic is our plans and goals. We all have goals - from short term all the way to long term. Likewise, we develop plans for reaching those goals. But we don't always stop to seek God's will before we make goals and plans. My typical mode of operation is - develop a goal, make a plan to reach that goal, and then pray that the plan works out. This is really backwards from what we should be doing as Christians. We should first seek God's plan through prayer… then pursue it… praying all along the way. The question to ask is - Are my goals and plans based on my will or are they based on God's will.

One last thing. When I set a goal and lay out the plans to reach it, I am typically focused on the goal more than anything else. Said another way, I tend to focus on the destination - not the journey. But which part do you think God is more interested in? It's during the journey that God is refining us. In retrospect, I can think back on situations were I'm certain the journey is the only goal God had for me all along. The destination wasn't important at all.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob

Boldness

I was in a parking lot in Albuquerque a short while back when I saw one of the strangest sights I've ever seen. There was an older guy (probably in his 70s) wearing a suit complete with a bow tie out on the sidewalk. He had a bicycle, a tiny dog, and a huge exotic bird with him. When I first saw him, he was in the process of getting all situated. He put the bird on a special perch attached to the handlebars. Then he got on the bike, got the dog where he wanted him, and started riding down the sidewalk. He rode very slow and the dog was so tiny that it seemed to be running at top speed to keep up. All in all, the entire scene was extremely odd. In fact, I bet it would seem odd to anybody… except that guy riding the bike.

So what does this have to do with Wednesday's fasting and prayer topic? Simply stated, I want to wear my faith boldly. I never want to be embarrassed or ashamed that I am a Christian. I want my actions to say that I care more about what God thinks than what other men think. Yet, in all, any pride that I show, let it only be a humble confidence in Christ.

Many Christians are bold in their Christianity… on Sunday while at church. Yet, it may be tough to even tell that the same person is a Christian when Monday rolls around. The thought of boldly wearing their faith on Monday feels like riding a bike in a 3-piece suit with a giant bird and a tiny dog in tow. They don't want to draw any negative attention to themselves.

So as we fast this Wednesday, we are praying for boldness.

"Therefore, since we have such hope, we are very bold." 2 Corinthians 3:12

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob

Lord and Savior

2 Peter describes Christ as "Lord and Savior" in 1:11 as well as 3:18. This Wednesday, we are praying that Jesus is both these things in our lives. First, let's look at the savior part. For Christ to be our savior, we need to have accepted His sacrifice on the cross as payment for our sins (past, present, and future sins). It's a gift and it's a one time thing. There's nothing we can do to earn it and there is nothing we can do to keep it or lose it. Once we accept it, it's ours. Now let's look at the lord part. Webster defines Lord as "master or ruler". If Christ is our Lord, he is who we listen to. He is who we submit to. He is who we obey. And He is who we strive to emulate. We do this the rest of our lives.

Savior is all about love and Lord is all about the obedience that springs from this love. I heard one pastor describe Christianity this way: "The entrance fee is nothing but the annual dues are everything."

Chances are, since you're on this fasting and prayer list, Christ is already your savior. However, if you're at all like me, He isn't always your Lord. This week, let's all pray that we are placing Christ in the position of Lord of our lives. That we are looking to Him in all things. Why should we obey Him? Two reasons: Because He's God… and because we're not. They're two separate and distinct things and it can take us a lifetime to get them right.

Early on, when Ann Sullivan first started working with Helen Keller, she spent a lot of time working against Helen's strong will in an attempt to teach her manners. After one particularly trying interaction, she wrote the following: "Although I'm sure we will have many more of these altercations, it occurs to me there are only 2 essential things I can teach her… Obedience and Love." I think our Father looks at us the same way.

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob

Wisdom

The bible talks quite a bit about wisdom. And you'll see that there are two types of wisdom that are referenced - worldly wisdom and Godly wisdom. The following verses refer to worldly wisdom.

1 Corinthians 1:20 - "Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

1 Corinthians 1:25 - "For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength."

And these verses refer to Godly wisdom:

Psalm 51:6 - "Surely You desire truth in the inner parts; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place."

Psalm 111:10 - "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

Proverbs 2:6 - "For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."

Proverbs 11:2 - "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom."

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 - "It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom in God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: 'Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.'"

This Wednesday we are praying for wisdom - Godly wisdom. The type of wisdom that is directly opposite worldly wisdom. The type of wisdom that is complete dependence on God. At the heart of such wisdom is humility. In fact, the person who thinks they have wisdom, probably doesn't. The world tends to equate wisdom with knowledge. I heard a pastor this week put it this way: "Knowledge is proud… that she's learned so much. Wisdom is humble… that she knows so little." We get so proud about the little knowledge we are able to accumulate in our lives. Shakespeare said "Man oh man… so ignorant in that which he knows best." In other words, even in the subject that I am most knowledgeable, I can't hold a candle to He who invented the subject. One last quote on knowledge. This comes from Mark Twain - "The problem with most people is not what they don't know… It's what they know for certain, that isn't true."

Have a great week and a great fast.
Your brother,
Bob