Proverbs 16:9–Plans Established by God

Proverbs 16:9–"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

2014 is upon us, a new year has arrived full of potential and promise.  My prayer for you this year is that you would see God's awesome blessings in your life and that you would see Him establish your heart's desire this year.  That is why this verse seems so appropriate today, New Year's Day.  Even the best laid plans require the Lord's input for success.  Because of this, I don't think that we can overemphasize the necessity for prayer as we consider and develop our goals for 2014.  For only through God will we be blessed!

Easter: Today and Beyond

Easter is a sacred day for the Christians around the world.  It is a day, really the day, when all around the world considers this historical man, Jesus of Nazarene, and the remarkable events that surrounded His life, His death by the hands of Pontius Pilate, and the strange events of His post-death life.  It is the day when, around the world, people who would rather never consider the reality of the events of Jesus of Nazarene.

But for Christians, this is a day of remembrance of a different sort.  For Christians, this is a day marked on the calendar not merely as a remembrance of what Christ Jesus did in His life, in His horrid death, and by His resurrection; it is also a day of particular importance because we remember, more particularly, what Jesus has done for us.

Today's blog, therefore, is one meant especially for those who would come to Christ in faith.  Today, on this very day, I exhort you to consider all that God has done for you in Christ Jesus, and to set as a mark upon your foreheads your commitment in faith to Christ Jesus for the remainder of this year.  Use this day in concert with the rest of your days as a podium to herald the King and to sing of His praise.  It is, of course, not merely a day like any other for it is a day of supreme testimony by which we recognize the sin offering and propitiation that Christ has won on our behalf.  AMEN!

Godly Goals

Effective living requires goal setting and the pursuit of goal attainment.  The business world is inundated with pop philosophy of habits and strategies for effectiveness and personal growth.  Kingdom life also has its own sets of goals and pursuits.  The world's goals and the Kingdom's often can compete for preeminence in the life of Christians, so the relevant question to ask is: which goals get priority?

The obvious answer to the above question would be to say that the Kingdom's goals are given prominence and priority over the world's.  However, if this were the case, more people would be living out their Kingdom goals and less people would be so focused on their worldly aspirations.  To be sure, personal and professional goals are not bad or immoral but they should not be pursued at the expense of Kingdom priority.

In Matthew, Jesus points to the ultimate Kingdom priority: seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt. 6:33).  He confirms this in the Greatest Commandment to love the Lord God with all heart, mind, and soul (Matt. 22:37).  Jesus is indicating the primacy of faithfulness and devotion to God in reference to any other possible aspiration.  "Seek first," does not solely refer to spiritual matters.  Because God is infinite and omniscient, His believers should live lives that reflect that.  Therefore, Jesus' statement is a blanket admonition to pursue the Lord first, and the rest will be added.

This principle, however direct and clearly expressed it may be, is often overlooked in a world that seems ever-secularizing.  In reality, the Lord wants our desires and dreams to be met and pursue in Him and by His will.  When we commit to this, because God is who He is, what He has for us will inevitably outshine what we might have wanted on our own.

The apostle Paul, in many of his letters, spoke of godly goals and pursuits that matter for their worth: pursue spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 14:12), seeking to please Him (2 Cor. 5:9), pressing on towards Jesus and His righteousness (1 Cor. 9:24; Phil. 3:13-14), lead quiet and peaceful lives (1 Thess. 4:11), be a diligent worker for the Lord (2 Tim. 2:15), clothe yourselves with godliness (Col. 3:12).  This not nearly an exhaustive list, but it does reveal the dramatic difference between Kingdom goals and worldly goals.

Scripture describes and prescribes goals that are quite different from that put forth by the world.  Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, He pressed forward with singular focus to the ultimate godly goal, revealing the love of God through His sacrifice at the cross (Heb. 12:1-2).  Therefore, we should take this same mind among us: to strive and press towards the godly goals of love and faithfulness first to the Lord and then to people.  All goals should arise out of this foundation, not the other way around.