My reading today has me in Proverbs 16 which I have given the title as “Righteous Life”.  One of the many teachings in this Proverb is on making plans, life decisions and how as a believer in God we should make life plans and decisions. There are 3 key verses in this chapter that give us direction on just how to make these plans and decisions.  They are:

• verse 3, “Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
• verse 9, “In his heart, a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”
• verse 20, “Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.”

Look at the key words first.  Commit, plans, succeed, course, determines, instruction, prospers, trusts.  Now there could be more key words but for me this morning these are the ones that stand out when I am in the process of making life plans, making major decisions and setting life goals.

Next look at the admonitions and call to action in these verses:

• verse 3: Commit to the LORD whatever you do
• verse 9: A man plans his course
• verse 20: Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers
• verse 20: he who trusts in the LORD

And finally, there are the promises of God:

• verse 3: and your plans will succeed
• verse 9 the LORD determines his steps
• verse 20 whoever gives heed to instruction prospers
• verse 20 blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

The first admonition here is to plan a course.  A righteous man is one who has dreams, plans and goals. There is nothing wrong with having dreams, visions, making plans and having goals.  It is how we go about having them and what we do with them is what makes the difference.  And what is the one key element for us to do in this process?  Commit to the Lord whatever you do and to trust in the LORD.  Sounds simple but so often we miss this step.  All our decisions, dreams, plans and goals must start with seeking the LORD, spending some quiet time with Him.  Something I like to call my personal “Come to Jesus meeting”.  For me, I do three things in my “Come to Jesus meetings”.

1. I get into the Word, the Bible. I look up key words in a concordance, cross reference other verses and look for instructions, admonitions, and promises.
2. I pray.
3. I seek counsel and instruction from key mentors in my life. One key instruction that I have learned over the years is to not seek counsel from someone whom the decision will personally affect.

Trust is another key action word that is the crux of our faith in Jesus that he will guide us and show us his path. Trust is defined as the confident expectation of something; hope. And the reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, and surety of Jesus Christ our Lord. For Jesus to be Lord of our life we must trust in him and all his qualities. It is then that we will be blessed.

Promises

There is always something special and comforting in God’s promises.  You cannot deny all the promises that God has made for thousands of years that have come true.  And oh, how comforting that is. Well, when it comes to having dreams, making plans, setting goals and making decisions God will still honor his promises. Keep in mind that first and foremost God loves you and wants what’s best for you. He cares enough to give you direction and guidance as to your steps and plans. We can also see comfort in the fact that we will be blessed and prosper. We have a big God who cares deeply for us and wants us to come to seek him and lay our plans before him.  It can certainly be tough at times but I can confidently say from years of experience, seek, trust and act.

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