Today's Reading:O.T. - Ecclesiastes 11 -12
N.T. - James 4:13-17
Focus Verses:
Ecclesiastes 11:5-6
5 As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother's womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. 6 Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let not your hands be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.
James 4:13-14
13Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." 14Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
Insight:
There are two ways a person can make a mistake in making plans and deciding what to do. The first is to be so afraid of failing and making the wrong choice that you do nothing. The second is to be so self-confident and certain that you run straight down the wrong path. The better way is to seek God and move forward in humility. Pray and hold your plan up to the light of God's word. Seek the advice of others who have life experience, a thorough knowledge of Scripture, and reverence for God. Make the best and most informed choices that can. Do what you believe is honoring to God. Act in the faith that God will bless and lead you.
Response and Action:
I will give prayerful consideration to the directions I take and the commitments I make. I will hold every plan, idea, opportunity, and invitation up to the light of Scripture, and ask God to show me the ways he would have me go. I will not be idle or so hesitant to take action that I am unwilling to move forward in faith. I will not move forward unless I believe that the steps I am taking are consistent with the clear guidance God has given me. I will give my best energy toward being the kind of person who lives by faith and seeks to honor Christ in all things. I can have confidence to try any good endeavor and path that does not compromise or contradict following Jesus.
O God, you are my God and I will ever praise you. I will seek you in the morning, and I will learn to walk in your ways. Lead me step by step and I will follow you all of my days. Amen.
Proverbs: 6:9-11
"How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest--and poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man."
Resources:
Knowing God's Will: Finding Guidance for Personal Decisions
by M. Blaine Smith
