Make Plans

Lent, in most Christian denominations, is the forty-day liturgical season of fasting and prayer before Easter. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where, according to the Bible, He endured temptation by Satan.

For lent, I am fasting lunch. Fun. Not really. Joking aside, my lunch times have actually been a great time of intimate prayer and waiting on God.

In this Lenten season I have been focusing on three themes.
1) Find the source of my life in Christ
2) Be faithful in the little things of life
3) Make plans

One of my friend's favorite stories in the Bible is the story of a dreamer named Joseph. It's the tale of a group of brothers who go to kill their brother (Joseph) because of jealousy, but then decide to make a little cash and sell him into slavery. Can you say "dys-func-tion?" The remainder of the saga takes us through the journey of Joseph and how he works his way out of slavery into a place of prominence. He primarily does this because of the ability to interpret dreams.

One of the minor points of the story is Joseph's ability to make plans before he is put in his place of prominence. My friend asked me, "If someone was willing to give you a million dollars if you could just tell them what you were going to do with it, what would you tell them?" His point is a challenging one. Do I look to the future or am I only concerned with the here and now? I do believe we should live every moment with purpose, but many times that purpose needs to be focused on what's next.

I'll tell you what motivates me the most to make plans. My son. When I look in his eyes and see all the God-given potential within him, I know it is our generation's job to make plans. I don't want to look him in the eyes and tell him my generation didn't cut it. I want to give him and his generation a fighting chance at accomplishing what it is God has them to do.

Make Plans.













Bible Reference: Old Testament - Genesis 37 & 41