Our all-knowing, omnipresent, all Mighty God has the final say for all our todays and tomorrows. Our yesterdays are moments of remembering God was, is and always will be at work on our behalf. When we ask for wisdom and God’s leading; we will succeed in what He is calling us to be and do. Our plans must align with God’s leading. So we ask what He wants daily, setting aside our own agendas for God’s agenda filled with spontaneous moments of divine opportunities is not to be missed!
God sent Jesus, His One and Only Son to demonstrate how God works in our lives! Jesus, Son of God and at the same time was Son of Man, experienced life as a human but was still God in flesh. Jesus showed us who God is by physically moving about in the neighborhood of humanity, walking and talking on earth in human form but with all the characteristics of God. He was sent to “seek and to save the lost”; but Jesus also taught us how to love each other. Jesus had purpose with a Plan from God for complete forgiveness which saved our souls forever. Our resurrected Jesus still forgives when we call on His Name for as the writer of Hebrews declares;
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
Human beings may attempt to find out what the future holds, and we may even ask God the Father for what He want from us and in our best effort we will do it; but we need to know that it is God who determines the outcome. From God’s perspective and view of abundant living—everything and everyone has purpose. God has our best interests at heart therefore, He will guide our plans. Even if we decide to enhance God’s plan with our human ways; God will oversee, step in, and make all things good according to His purpose. Seek God’s will and plan first; then we will be better equipped with His wisdom to know His purpose while fulfilling His plan. Jesus was our Great Example of seeking God before doing anything of significance for the Kingdom of God.
Proverbs 16, The Message
Everything with a Place and a Purpose
Mortals make elaborate plans,
but God has the last word.
2 Humans are satisfied with whatever looks good;
God probes for what is good.
3 Put God in charge of your work,
then what you’ve planned will take place.
4 God made everything with a place and purpose;
even the wicked are included—but for judgment.
5 God can’t stomach arrogance or pretense;
believe me, he’ll put those braggarts in their place.
6 Guilt is banished through love and truth;
Fear-of-God deflects evil.
7 When God approves of your life,
even your enemies will end up shaking your hand.
8 Far better to be right and poor
than to be wrong and rich.
9 We plan the way we want to live,
but only God makes us able to live it.
It Pays to Take Life Seriously
10 A good leader motivates,
doesn’t mislead, doesn’t exploit.
11 God cares about honesty in the workplace;
your business is his business.
12 Good leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds;
sound leadership has a moral foundation.
13 Good leaders cultivate honest speech;
they love advisors who tell them the truth.
14 An intemperate leader wreaks havoc in lives;
you’re smart to stay clear of someone like that.
15 Good-tempered leaders invigorate lives;
they’re like spring rain and sunshine.
16 Get wisdom—it’s worth more than money;
choose insight over income every time.
17 The road of right living bypasses evil;
watch your step and save your life.
18 First pride, then the crash—
the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.
19 It’s better to live humbly among the poor
than to live it up among the rich and famous.
20 It pays to take life seriously;
things work out when you trust in God.
21 A wise person gets known for insight;
gracious words add to one’s reputation.
22 True intelligence is a spring of fresh water,
while fools sweat it out the hard way.
23 They make a lot of sense, these wise folks;
whenever they speak, their reputation increases.
24 Gracious speech is like clover honey—
good taste to the soul, quick energy for the body.
25 There’s a way that looks harmless enough;
look again—it leads straight to hell.
26 Appetite is an incentive to work;
hunger makes you work all the harder.
27 Mean people spread mean gossip;
their words smart and burn.
28 Troublemakers start fights;
gossips break up friendships.
29 Calloused climbers betray their very own friends;
they’d stab their own grandmothers in the back.
30 A shifty eye betrays an evil intention;
a clenched jaw signals trouble ahead.
31 Gray hair is a mark of distinction,
the award for a God-loyal life.
32 Moderation is better than muscle,
self-control better than political power.
33 Make your motions and cast your votes,
but God has the final say.
WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?
There was a time when God suddenly called me to be a leader with great responsibility. As the only woman in the group, even the interview for this work was daunting and a bit intimidating for this first-grade public school teacher. The approval from this group of men in leadership of our organization of churches would change my life and the lives of our family drastically; but God was already at work changing my mind from loving teaching to passing on what God had taught me about leadership in my training with a Masters in Educational Leadership. Still, even with a Masters completed, I knew enough to know I didn’t know enough! This experience with opportunities galore to teach others what I had learned, through failures and success, was God’s way of fulfilling His purpose in me for a little over a decade.
As I read over all the “leadership” wisdom declarations; I remember reading a proverb a day throughout my time on task in the position God had placed me. I poured over these wisdom statements as if they were gold—and they were! I would not have survived without these nuggets of truth embedded and treasured in my heart! I daily sought God’s character traits to permeate my life as a leader. I saw so many who did not seek God first and pushed their way to positions of power without purpose and it sickened my soul.
I didn’t always succeed in plans made even with many advisors and mentors that I took to heart as God’s leaders. Critics who repelled even the slightest changes in routine were the first to pout and point out all my flaws along with plans to bring people to Jesus; but I always knew God would make HIS plan known and fulfill HIS purpose in and through me as well as through a multitude of volunteers who gave their all to God and worked hard alongside me. Bringing a team of Godly people together was what I now look back on as God’s success in fulfilling His plan and purpose for me. For such a time as that time in my life; God taught me to be a leader of integrity who was honest and told the truth—even when it hurt.
God has a way of using what we are doing now to prepare us for what God wants to do later. He wastes nothing we have experienced in our lives. God uses everything for every new opportunity to grow in our intimate relationship with Him that enhances the health of all other relationships we will have in our lives. Every person on earth as been given purpose. All find their purpose in knowing Jesus Christ as Savior AND Lord. And I am one of them!
To be successful, our plans should reflect God’s desires. Furthermore, even when our plans fail, God will ultimately bring about his purposes. God never fails and is always faithful. Get a grip on this truth and do not let go!
The Proverb of the Day closes where it began. The point is that God is the final arbiter of the future. Human beings may attempt to find out what the future holds, but they should know that it is God who determines it.
Lord,
Thank you. Thank you for saving my soul and making me whole. Thank you for picking me up when I fell down and succumb to the what the world said was “failure”. Thank you for cleansing my heart, renewing my mind, refreshing and resetting my soul to your default provided by your love, new mercies, and generous grace. Thank you for continually restoring the joy of your salvation so rich and free within me. To you be all glory, honor, and praise! You are the One who never fails and makes all things good according to your plan and purpose. What more could we ask for? Nothing. For there is no one like you!
In Jesus Name, Amen
