TUESDAY Planning Ahead Read James 4:13 . (Compare Luke 12:13-21 - TopicsExpress

TUESDAY Planning Ahead Read James 4:13 . (Compare Luke 12:13-21 .) How do we balance prudent planning for the future with our need to live each day in expectation of Christs imminent coming? How can we avoid the trap of merely building bigger barns? It may seem very reasonable to plan a year in advance or even more. Businesses commonly have short-, medium-, and long-range plans. Individuals and families need to save for the future and to make provision for unexpected expenses. On the other hand, we also believe that Jesus is coming soon and that, someday, all of our earthly possessions will be consumed by flames (see 2 Pet. 3:10-12 ) . These two approaches to life are not necessarily in conflict. Someone has said, Plan as if Christ were not coming for years but live each day as if Christ were coming tomorrow. This is good as far as it goes, though long-term planning can make it difficult to take one day at a time. Many of Jesus hearers (and no doubt many Christians today) would consider that the rich man who decided to build bigger barns was prosperous because God was blessing him. But Jesus reveals to us the mans inner thoughts: soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry ( Luke 12:19, NKJV ) . In short, his overarching concern was to lay up treasure for himself . Most important, rather than making our plans too definite, Instead you ought to say, If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that (James 4:15, NKJV ) . This means more than simply appending d.v. (Deo volente , Latin for God willing) to the end of a sentence about our future plans. It means we should submit all our plans to God. We can pray: God, I want to know Your will. If you are not pleased with these plans, please show me. Then, if our plans are not good, God will show us that-as long as we remain attentive and willing to correct our plans or even change them entirely. Read again James 4:13 . Though on the surface nothing really seems wrong with what is being said, obviously theres a problem-not in what the people want to do but in their attitude about it. How can we be careful not to get caught up in that same attitude, even subconsciously?