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The best way to plan your day

Written by Ed Baswell

Wednesday, 30 December 2009

Several years ago, a group of fortunetellers, palm readers and crystal ball gazers got together for a convention. They came from all over the world to compare notes and make predictions about the future, but while they were meeting, some thieves broke into their hotel rooms, stole their crystal balls, Tarot cards and other fortune telling paraphernalia.

When the police arrived to investigate, they asked the obvious question: "Why couldn't you have predicted this and thus prevented it? Why didn't you know this was going to happen?" Of course, they didn't have an answer.

Only God knows the future and can predict the future with total accuracy. There is not a human being on the face of this earth who can do what God does when it comes to the future.

With that in mind, let me suggest two things that are true when it comes to the future. First of all, you should not presume tomorrow because you may not be alive tomorrow. Second, don't procrastinate when it comes to tomorrow. Live as if today will be your last day on earth and prepare as if it won't be. Prepare, so if tomorrow
does come, it will be the best day of your life.

You Must Seek Your God

There are three things you need to understand about planning for the future and these three things are found in Paul's letter to the church at Philippi. First, when you plan for the future, you must seek your God--that is, the God of the Old and New Testaments.

The apostle Paul was always in hot pursuit of God in the Person of Jesus Christ. "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:12). As a result of his pursuit of the Lord Jesus, God gave Paul a vision that helped him plan his day, his week, his month, his year, his life. That vision gave Paul a purpose for his existence and a focus, something to point to out there in the future. Paul knew his purpose for living, which was to think like Christ, talk like Christ and be like Christ.

In order for you to be successful in your goal-setting, you must seek God. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, God saved you and He wants you to be all the Lord saved you for. That gives you a purpose for living.

Second, in order to plan your day and have focus and purpose in your life, you must set your goals. You must pray for God's vision and then you must prepare for goal-oriented action. "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14).

Paul sought God, then he set goals. His purpose was to be like Jesus Christ, but he set goals along the way that led him toward accomplishing his purpose. He focused all of his energies on fulfilling God's purpose for his life.

In the spiritual realm, you and I have a purpose. If you are a Christian, your purpose is to become more and more like Jesus Christ, and then you set goals--a quiet time every day, Bible study and prayer every day. Those are goals that help you fulfill your purpose.

You Must Stand Your Ground

The third thing I want you to see when it comes to achieving your purpose and setting your goals, is that you must stand your ground. Paul realized he had enemies and those enemies would seek to keep him from fulfilling his purpose and achieving his goals. "For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ." (Philippians 3:18).

Consider yourself forewarned--about the time you seek God and you begin to see His vision for your life, up will pop an adversary. The world is full of dream killers. There will always be someone who will say, "You can't have that dream." There will always be someone who is jealous or envious of your dream, someone who will do everything they can to kill your dream. And, if you are a Christian, your most potent adversary is the devil. His purpose is to destroy your God-given dream.

He will attempt to torpedo the most important goal you can set, which is to go to heaven. It doesn't matter what other goals you set if you die without Christ and spend eternity separated from God. If you haven't already done so, won't you place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ and ask Him to come into your heart?

Ed Baswell is a licensed and ordained minister and is the founder of Clarion Ministries, a teaching ministry designed to share Christ via the printed and spoken Word.

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