SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 3/24/2013
8:48 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Plans
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Studies in Proverbs
Message of the
verses: Our subject from the book of
Proverbs today is plans.
5. Plans
Now we have had theme verses in the last few Spiritual
Diaries, which is Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and
lean not upon your own understanding. In
all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your path.” As we look at these two important verses from
the book of Proverbs we can see that we are to look to the Lord for direction,
but we are also to follow the direction or plans that the Lord gives to us.
When we look at plans that we have in or life we are not
suppose to totally be all passive and the Lord to be active, and this is
something that all believers run into not too far down their walk with the
Lord. Are we to let God and let go as
some have said? Dr. Wiersbe writes the
following endnote to help answer this question: “Psalm 46:10 says, ‘Be still
and know that I am God’; the phrase ‘be still’ literally means ‘take your hands
off,’ or ‘stop your striving.’ There are
times when we prove our faith simply by waiting on the Lord and allowing Him to
work. Naomi’s advice to Ruth was
excellent: ‘Sit still, my daughter’ (Ruth
3:18), and so was Moses’ instruction (Ex. 14:13). But when it’s time to act, no amount of
devotion will substitute for obedience.
See Josh. 7:10ff; 1 Samuel 16:1ff; 1 Kings 19:15ff.” We see that there is a time to plan and a
time to act, but our planning must be in the Lord. James 2:26 states “Faith without works is
dead.” I realize that this verse has
brought controversy to some, but the verse is not speaking about our salvation
for we do not work or that for that is a gift, but in order to prove that we
are saved we work at what the Lord wants us to do as Ephesians 2:10 speak of.
We read in Proverbs 3:5 that we are not to lean on our
own understanding, but that word “leaning” means ‘to rely on.” Our faith must be in the Word of God and not
in our own wisdom. Proverbs has much to
say about wisdom, and the kind of wisdom we as believers need is from the Lord
and not from ourselves, and we get that from the Word of God.
When we are seeking to know the will of God we are to
gather all of the facts that we can access, but our decision must be based on
knowledge and not on hearsay. “Every
prudent man acts out of knowledge, but a fool exposes his folly.” (Pr. 13:16 NIV) “He who gives an answer before he hears, It
is folly and shame to him (Pr. 18:13).”
As we look at this verse we must understand that it applies to whether
we are answering a person or the Lord. “The
wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But the foolishness of fools
is deceit (Pr. 14:8). As believers when
we are making plans we must take our time and look honestly at all the facts.
Dr. Wiersbe writes “God expects us to use our brains and
make plans, but He also expects us to submit those plans to Him and let Him
make the final decision.” “The plans of
the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the LORD (Pr.
16:1).” “Commit to the LORD whatever you
do, and your plans will succeed (Pr. 16:3 NIV).” Dr. Wiersbe continues “If we’re yielded to
the Lord and our plans are not His plans, He will show us what’s wrong.” “And if on some point you think differently,
that too God will make clear to you (Phil 3:15b NIV).” “In his heart a man plans his course, but the
LORD determines his steps (Pr. 16:9 NIV).”
The problem is when we rebel against the Lord and desire
to go our own way, “There is no wisdom and no understanding And no counsel
against the LORD (Pr. 21:30).” That is
why we as believers are to begin our search in the Word of God, and then
obeying it after reading it. In His Word
we will find the character of God and the will of God will never contradict either
the purposes of God or the character of God, and that is why we must wait
before the Lord for “the plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as
haste leads to poverty (Pr. 21:15).” There
is no need to rush ahead if we are walking by faith as seen in Isaiah 28:16b, “Whoever
believes will not act hastily.”
Dr. Wiersbe concludes this wonderful commentary by
writing the following: “So, when we have
a decision to make, we gather all the facts and seek wise counsel, we make our
plans, we commit ourselves and our plans to the Lord, we listen to His Word,
and we wait before Him for His leading.
Sometimes God leads us through a Bible promise or warning; sometimes
while we’re at worship with God’s people, He speaks through a song or Scripture
reading; or He may direct us through providential circumstances. More than once in my own life, His
disciplines have turned out to be His directions (Pr 3:11-12; Heb. 12:1-11).”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: I surely have to
agree that there have been times in my life when the disciplines of God as I
then yield to His purposes have given great direction to me. It is not always the most pleasant of ways,
but it does work.
My Steps of Faith for Today: There is something that has been running
through my mind that I may want to do, and so as I think about it I desire to
seek the will of the Lord, and also desire to wait upon the Lord, which is
something that is not natural for me, and then hope that what the outcome will
be will bring glory to the Lord.
Memory verses for the
week: Psalm 32:1-8
1 How blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sin is covered! 2 How blessed is
the man to whom the LORD does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is
no deceit! 3 When I kept silent about my
sin my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. 4 For day and night Your hand was heavy upon
me; my vitality was drained away like the fever heat of summer. Selah. 5 I acknowledged my sin to You, and my
iniquity I did not hide; I said “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”;
and You forgave the guilt of my sin.
Selah. 6 Therefore, let everyone
who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; surely in a flood of
great waters they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place; You preserve me from trouble;
You surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah. 8 I will instruct you and teach you in the
way which you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Answer to yesterday’s
Question: “Jerusalem” (2 Samuel 5:5)
Question for Today: “Who had a dream about three baskets of food
on his head?”
Answer in Tomorrow’s SD
3/24/2013 10:08 AM
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