June 24 Blue Prints

Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed. ~Proverbs 15:22

All a man’s ways seem innocent to him, but motives are weighed by the Lord. Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. The Lord works out everything for His own end—even the wicked for a day of disaster. ~Proverbs 16:2-4

In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. ~Proverbs 16:9

Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. ~Proverbs 19:21

Make plans by seeking advice. If you wage war, obtain guidance. ~Proverbs 20:18

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? “I, the Lord, search the heart and examine the mind, to reward one according to conduct, according to what their deeds deserve.” ~Jeremiah 17:9-10

Then a teacher of the law came to Him and said, “Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has no place to lay His head.” Another disciple said to Him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my dead.” Jesus told him, “Follow Me and let the dead bury their own dead.” ~Matthew 8:19-22

Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be My disciple. ~Luke 14:28-33

Well, this is a good follow up to yesterday. Before anything came into existence, God had a plan. It was a Master plan, or blueprint for His creation. He laid a firm foundation with straight paths. He created beauty and variety. Then, evil came to try to destroy what God had planned. The satan railed against God’s good earth. He tempted created beings living within to try to pollute it. The evil one did everything it could to damage and thwart what God intended for good.

As part of the plan, God placed His own son as the center of His plan to protect it and heal the damage that was caused. It took extreme effort, everything the Son and the Father God had. But the plan was found to be sound and left intact. The gates of hell could not prevail against it.

Within God’s Master Plan, we make our plans. Are they sound and do they conform to the Master’s blueprint? He knows and acts accordingly. His Master Plan is what will prevail no matter what plans we make within it. I often think of the game of chess, where a toddler is playing against a grand master. The toddler might be enjoying the game, but he can’t possibly “win.” He doesn’t even know the rules. Or an older player may know the rules and form some strategy. But the master will always win! Sometimes, we may think we have good plans, but He knows the heart, and the plan. Sometimes we think we can and so we try. But He knows the truth of whether we can, or should, or not. He is the Master Planner.

We are free to move about in those plans for His glory, but when we choose to work with evil to attempt to thwart those plans, there will be consequences because that too is part of the plan. It will go best with us when we are in line with His plans. To stay in line, constant communication is needed, and obedience is required. It is a wonderful plan, created in love, to demonstrate His love for all He has created.

He invites us, even strongly encourages us to be a part of His plan. Our greatest joy will be found in working alongside Him to bring His plan to completion. Then we will know the extreme joy of hearing Him say to us, “Well done,” and feel the extreme peace of entering into His rest after a long day of honest, hard work. That is His desired plan for all He has created.

Prayer: Dear Father, I love Your plan! I do not want to oppose You. I want to work with You. So, help me to understand and obey as I study Your Word that lays out the blueprint for existence. May I build on that firm foundation with good and precious materials. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Song: “Cornerstone”