BBD 05.05.04 Plans

#1 · May 5, 2004, 11:47 pm

Quote from Forum Archives on May 5, 2004, 11:47 pm
Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

If you have a Christian website you are invited to add the link to my free
links at the Burning Bush website. The Bravenet free links is near the
bottom of the front page www.theburningbush.org.

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org

Please sign the GuestMap at The Burning Bush website. You can plant your
country's flag on the map and leave a message. You can find it on the front
page at www.theburningbush.org

Streaming Videos of our services including my sermons are beginning to be
posted at: www.theburningbush.org/fbcswvideo.html

The Burning Bush Devotional

(Over 13,000 subscribers in 75 countries)

05.05.04

Plans

A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps. - Proverbs
16:9.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of
peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call
upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek
Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. - Jeremiah
29:11-13.

I am now 54 years old (as of May 4) and during those years, I have rarely
seen my plans come about in the way I originally planned. Actually, I doubt
that any of them have. That may very well be a statement of life that our
plans will never turn out exactly as we plan them. Reality may be better
than we planned or it may be worse which is often the case.

This failure of planning doesn’t just happen to us it happens to everyone
from the President of our country to Bill Gates. You may be the smartest
person in the world and still your plans will not turn out exactly as you
planned. When we put together a plan, it is to some degree a guess of what
we think and hope will happen. Because there are too many variables that we
have no control over that can change our plan.

I have had during my adult life three careers. I’ve worked in the oilfield
as a pipe inspector. I’ve been a state parole officer and for the past 13
years, I’ve served as a pastor. When I graduated from high school, none of
those careers were in my plan or even in the realm of what I considered to
be possible.

Financially too, only a very few of my plans have actually become reality
and then only in an altered way. Living life, we can never be totally
prepared for the financial reality. There are so many things that can
happen.

In the past year, we have been on a roller coaster financially with the
elimination of our debt and then both my wife (Jeanie) and I have
experienced unexpected physical problems with the related expenses. Most
recently, we have had to replace a transmission in one of our cars. None of
those things were foreseen nor did I make adequate plans. Thankfully, God
has provided but my financial plans have never turned out as I have
originally designed them.

I do not believe any of my plans about anything have ever turned out exactly
as I planned. The Bible warns us about this in Proverbs 19:21 where it says,
“There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the LORD's
counsel--that will stand.” Another translation puts it this way, “Many are
the plans in a person’s heart, but it’s the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”

Our plans may be frustrated, almost certainly, they will be - but God’s plan
will reach its fulfillment. Isaiah 14:24 tells us, "The LORD of hosts has
sworn, saying, 'Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as
I have purposed, so it shall stand'” and, Isaiah 46:10 says, "I make known
the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I
say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please."

The amazing thing about God’s wondrous plan is that He is bringing about
that plan through the church and through each one of us that make up His
church. Every one of us who know Jesus as our Savior have been elected,
chosen, called. There is a purpose for our lives that makes up part of and
will help to bring about God’s incredible plan. No matter who you are or
what your personal plans may be - God has a plan, a purpose, a mission for
your life that is of vital, cosmic, eternal importance.

To have success in life we must give up on the idea of being able to map out
every detail of our lives because it is never going to happen. Instead, we
must seek out God’s purpose, and plan for our lives. Become a co-laborer
with Him, an Ambassador for Christ. This is His will for your life. It is
written in His Word, written in His blood. Seek to serve God, and to see the
fulfillment of His plan in your life with each day that you live and you
will find significance, meaning, purpose, and success.

(This devotional came from the sermon I preached last Sunday morning. You
can hear the entire sermon at:

www.theburningbush.org/fbcswvideo.html )

Copyright © 2004. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. On June 8, 1998 the email
version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.

There is now a webpage available at associate.com where the devotionals are
archived associate.com/groups/burningbushdevo. There is a complete
archive at the Burning Bush website and the address for the archive is
www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You may subscribe to the pure text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org and you can unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Prayer Group. Send and receive prayer requests
to over 300 members. Send a blank email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Inspirational Group. Send and receive
inspirational material to over 100 members. Send a blank email to:
bbinspire-subscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Restoration and Recovery Group for those with
addictions or recovering from addictions. Receive devotionals and
inspirational material directed toward those with addictions. Send and
receive prayer requests. Over 200 members. Send a blank email to:
tbbrr-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Intercede Life Group and pray for and help in practical
ways those who need help. To subscribe send a blank email to
interclife-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. A closely related website is
Peoplefaces which seeks to help those in need
peoplefaces.ohzone.net/index2.htm

Posted by: wrather <wrather@...>

If you have a Christian website you are invited to add the link to my free
links at the Burning Bush website. The Bravenet free links is near the
bottom of the front page http://www.theburningbush.org.

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may
subscribe by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org

Please sign the GuestMap at The Burning Bush website. You can plant your
country's flag on the map and leave a message. You can find it on the front
page at http://www.theburningbush.org

Streaming Videos of our services including my sermons are beginning to be
posted at: http://www.theburningbush.org/fbcswvideo.html

The Burning Bush Devotional

(Over 13,000 subscribers in 75 countries)

05.05.04

Plans

A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps. - Proverbs
16:9.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of
peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call
upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek
Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. - Jeremiah
29:11-13.

I am now 54 years old (as of May 4) and during those years, I have rarely
seen my plans come about in the way I originally planned. Actually, I doubt
that any of them have. That may very well be a statement of life that our
plans will never turn out exactly as we plan them. Reality may be better
than we planned or it may be worse which is often the case.

This failure of planning doesn’t just happen to us it happens to everyone
from the President of our country to Bill Gates. You may be the smartest
person in the world and still your plans will not turn out exactly as you
planned. When we put together a plan, it is to some degree a guess of what
we think and hope will happen. Because there are too many variables that we
have no control over that can change our plan.

I have had during my adult life three careers. I’ve worked in the oilfield
as a pipe inspector. I’ve been a state parole officer and for the past 13
years, I’ve served as a pastor. When I graduated from high school, none of
those careers were in my plan or even in the realm of what I considered to
be possible.

Financially too, only a very few of my plans have actually become reality
and then only in an altered way. Living life, we can never be totally
prepared for the financial reality. There are so many things that can
happen.

In the past year, we have been on a roller coaster financially with the
elimination of our debt and then both my wife (Jeanie) and I have
experienced unexpected physical problems with the related expenses. Most
recently, we have had to replace a transmission in one of our cars. None of
those things were foreseen nor did I make adequate plans. Thankfully, God
has provided but my financial plans have never turned out as I have
originally designed them.

I do not believe any of my plans about anything have ever turned out exactly
as I planned. The Bible warns us about this in Proverbs 19:21 where it says,
“There are many plans in a man's heart, nevertheless the LORD's
counsel--that will stand.” Another translation puts it this way, “Many are
the plans in a person’s heart, but it’s the LORD’s purpose that prevails.”

Our plans may be frustrated, almost certainly, they will be - but God’s plan
will reach its fulfillment. Isaiah 14:24 tells us, "The LORD of hosts has
sworn, saying, 'Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as
I have purposed, so it shall stand'” and, Isaiah 46:10 says, "I make known
the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I
say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please."

The amazing thing about God’s wondrous plan is that He is bringing about
that plan through the church and through each one of us that make up His
church. Every one of us who know Jesus as our Savior have been elected,
chosen, called. There is a purpose for our lives that makes up part of and
will help to bring about God’s incredible plan. No matter who you are or
what your personal plans may be - God has a plan, a purpose, a mission for
your life that is of vital, cosmic, eternal importance.

To have success in life we must give up on the idea of being able to map out
every detail of our lives because it is never going to happen. Instead, we
must seek out God’s purpose, and plan for our lives. Become a co-laborer
with Him, an Ambassador for Christ. This is His will for your life. It is
written in His Word, written in His blood. Seek to serve God, and to see the
fulfillment of His plan in your life with each day that you live and you
will find significance, meaning, purpose, and success.

(This devotional came from the sermon I preached last Sunday morning. You
can hear the entire sermon at:

http://www.theburningbush.org/fbcswvideo.html )

Copyright © 2004. Ed Wrather. Permission is given for use of the devotionals
on a non-profit basis with source credited. On June 8, 1998 the email
version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent.

There is now a webpage available at associate.com where the devotionals are
archived associate.com/groups/burningbushdevo. There is a complete
archive at the Burning Bush website and the address for the archive is
http://www.theburningbush.org/33.html.

You may subscribe to the pure text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushdevo-subscribe@welovegod.org and you can unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushdevo-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

You may subscribe to the html text group by sending a blank email to
burningbushhtml-subscribe@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a
blank email to burningbushhtml-unsubscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Prayer Group. Send and receive prayer requests
to over 300 members. Send a blank email to: BBPG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Inspirational Group. Send and receive
inspirational material to over 100 members. Send a blank email to:
bbinspire-subscribe@welovegod.org

Subscribe to the Burning Bush Restoration and Recovery Group for those with
addictions or recovering from addictions. Receive devotionals and
inspirational material directed toward those with addictions. Send and
receive prayer requests. Over 200 members. Send a blank email to:
tbbrr-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Subscribe to the Intercede Life Group and pray for and help in practical
ways those who need help. To subscribe send a blank email to
interclife-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. A closely related website is
Peoplefaces which seeks to help those in need
peoplefaces.ohzone.net/index2.htm