April 18, 2000
Pete, a young twenties-something, wobbled home from a party. Missing a turn, he drove off the rural road but didn’t seem to notice. He kept driving until his pickup truck bounced off a barbed-wire fence. Not only drunk but determined, Pete put his truck in reverse, backed up and then took a run at the fence. The wires snapped. He went through, drove about a quarter mile across a pasture, then plummeted off a cliff into the Bow River.
The truck landed on its nose. At that spot, fortunately for Pete, the water was shallow. He crawled up to the top of the cab and slept until morning. Other than a torn shirt, he was unhurt. Pete thought he was invincible and this episode further convinced him. Others share Pete’s conviction; death cannot touch me. These daredevils might break bones by the dozens yet nothing stops their death-defying stunts.
These are not suicidal people, just “invincible” people. They say “other fools” make wrong turns with grave consequences but not themselves. Nothing will happen to them. “Invincibles” push limits yet they are not alone; most of us are just as determined to avoid death. We push it out of mind, refuse to set foot in a home for seniors, avoid hospitals, avoid even the word “death” as if that will make this experience go away. Of course, avoiding it doesn’t work. Everyone dies. Defiance cannot alter the fact. Death is inevitable. Rather than avoid it, we should plan for it.
Death visited our family over the Christmas holidays. My father, died three weeks short of his 91st birthday. It was not a surprise. Invincibility and delusion seldom hang around someone that age. He knew, and we knew, that his years were running out.
At the funeral, the speaker said a person does not have to be old or sick to die. It can happen to anyone. He reminded us of Jesus’ story of a rich man whose farm produced a bumper crop. He decided to tear down his barns and build bigger ones so he could store his goods, then “eat, drink and be merry.” This man gave no thought to the future nor considered death. However, God said to him, “You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. . . .”
My Dad was a farmer too, but the resemblance ends there. Unlike the rich fool, Dad thought about the future and even about death. Early in life, he made a will and then kept it updated. In his early forties, he bought a burial plot and grave markers (a practical move considering that today the same package costs ten times what he paid for it).
Dad may have toyed with the idea of being invincible when he was young but as a mature man, he realized he was not. Rather than try to defy death or deny it, he planned for it, even considered life after death.
In 1986, he asked what a person had to do to please God. How can a person be ready for death and be fit for His presence? He was told the answer: “It is by grace you are saved through faith, and that is not from yourself, it is the gift of God — not of works. . . .” We cannot do anything to earn or deserve heaven. All we can do is believe in the promises of God.
Dad understood God’s grace in sending Jesus to die for his sins. He knew Jesus paid the penalty he deserved and that He offers eternal life to anyone who will humble themselves and trust His promises. Dad decided that salvation through faith is a good deal. He simply confessed his sin and asked Jesus to be his Savior, resting in His promise of forgiveness and eternal life.
Occasionally Dad said, “I wish the Lord would come and take me home.” Daredevils and invincibles cannot say that, only people who are ready to go.
Showing posts with label how to plan well. Show all posts
Showing posts with label how to plan well. Show all posts
Friday, November 10, 2017
Monday, November 6, 2017
Making Plans .......... Parables 663
(? no tear sheet)
Joe’s wife handed him his Saturday to-do list. He was anxious to move on to other things so yipped in delight to see only one chore: fix a dripping kitchen tap.
When Joe looked under the sink, his smile turned to a frown. The line did not have a shut-off valve. He had to turn the water off. Joe headed to the basement, mentally adding a few more minutes taken from his leisure time. When he tried to turn the valve on the line for the kitchen sink, it would not budge. Not wanting to stress the joints and cause a leak, he decided he should turn off the main water valve. His frown became frustration when he found it was also seized.
Joe’s house was old. If he put muscle to his pipe wrench, he might make even more work for himself. So he called the city. They said they would come out and turn off the main in the street. When they got there, the valve was buried under two feet of landscaping. By the time Joe finished fixing the tap and the mess from digging for the main, it was almost dark. He was not amused when his wife said, “I guess life is what happens when you are planning something else.”
I can sympathize with Joe. Some days turn out like that. A simple chore becomes complex, or the telephone rings all day, or ninety-three email messages turn up in my in-box. Whatever the detour, all plans somehow fall by the wayside. Since tomorrow is another day (with another ninety-three messages), today’s plans may never be fulfilled. As frustrating as this scenario can be, there are some guidelines from God that do help.
First, we do not know the future. James 4:13-14 says, “Now 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.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow . . . .” It helps to remember that our plans are always tentative.
Second, remember our place in the grand scheme of things. James 4 goes on: “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Knowing and controlling events is an ambitious undertaking for mere mortals. God challenges us when we think we can do it. He is the only one who can see both the end and the beginning at the same time. It helps to remember that too.
Third, because these two things are true, we ought to consider God in our plans. James 4 continues: “Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” While God does not move our lives around like chess pieces, He is sovereign. If He wants something, we cannot fight it. If He does not, no amount of our scheming will make it happen. By not fighting God, we become more flexible.
Fourth, taking control without considering God is sin. “As it is, you boast and brag (about what you plan to do). All such boasting is evil.” In the context of this verse, James repeatedly reminds us that we are not God. We cannot make things go the way we want them to go or even say we will do a certain thing without considering that He has the final say. By that, our plans become less rigid.
Fifth but most important, planning to do good is always safe. James finishes: “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” This negative warning implies that our plans made without God can be selfishly motivated, even evil. When we consider God, the selfish element is brought to light. If we ask Him, He will give us something good to do, even good that can be included in our current plan.
Circumstances might prevent us from carrying out the plans we make, but if our hearts are motivated in a way that pleases God, we will not be upset with the unexpected.
Joe’s wife handed him his Saturday to-do list. He was anxious to move on to other things so yipped in delight to see only one chore: fix a dripping kitchen tap.
When Joe looked under the sink, his smile turned to a frown. The line did not have a shut-off valve. He had to turn the water off. Joe headed to the basement, mentally adding a few more minutes taken from his leisure time. When he tried to turn the valve on the line for the kitchen sink, it would not budge. Not wanting to stress the joints and cause a leak, he decided he should turn off the main water valve. His frown became frustration when he found it was also seized.
Joe’s house was old. If he put muscle to his pipe wrench, he might make even more work for himself. So he called the city. They said they would come out and turn off the main in the street. When they got there, the valve was buried under two feet of landscaping. By the time Joe finished fixing the tap and the mess from digging for the main, it was almost dark. He was not amused when his wife said, “I guess life is what happens when you are planning something else.”
I can sympathize with Joe. Some days turn out like that. A simple chore becomes complex, or the telephone rings all day, or ninety-three email messages turn up in my in-box. Whatever the detour, all plans somehow fall by the wayside. Since tomorrow is another day (with another ninety-three messages), today’s plans may never be fulfilled. As frustrating as this scenario can be, there are some guidelines from God that do help.
First, we do not know the future. James 4:13-14 says, “Now 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.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow . . . .” It helps to remember that our plans are always tentative.
Second, remember our place in the grand scheme of things. James 4 goes on: “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Knowing and controlling events is an ambitious undertaking for mere mortals. God challenges us when we think we can do it. He is the only one who can see both the end and the beginning at the same time. It helps to remember that too.
Third, because these two things are true, we ought to consider God in our plans. James 4 continues: “Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’” While God does not move our lives around like chess pieces, He is sovereign. If He wants something, we cannot fight it. If He does not, no amount of our scheming will make it happen. By not fighting God, we become more flexible.
Fourth, taking control without considering God is sin. “As it is, you boast and brag (about what you plan to do). All such boasting is evil.” In the context of this verse, James repeatedly reminds us that we are not God. We cannot make things go the way we want them to go or even say we will do a certain thing without considering that He has the final say. By that, our plans become less rigid.
Fifth but most important, planning to do good is always safe. James finishes: “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” This negative warning implies that our plans made without God can be selfishly motivated, even evil. When we consider God, the selfish element is brought to light. If we ask Him, He will give us something good to do, even good that can be included in our current plan.
Circumstances might prevent us from carrying out the plans we make, but if our hearts are motivated in a way that pleases God, we will not be upset with the unexpected.
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