Thursday... We are so good at making plans.

Romans 15:24-25 (NLT), "I am planning to go to Spain, and when I do, I will stop off in Rome. And after I have enjoyed your fellowship for a little while, you can provide for my journey. But before I come, I must go to Jerusalem to take a gift to the believers there."

Thursday... We are so good at making plans.

But, and that is such an important word. But.

Here Paul was writing this letter to the church in Rome. He says in Romans 15:24-25 (NLT), "I am planning to go to Spain, and when I do, I will stop off in Rome. And after I have enjoyed your fellowship for a little while, you can provide for my journey. But before I come, I must go to Jerusalem to take a gift to the believers there."

He was laying it all out what he was planning on doing but and you must go back to the book of Acts which was written by Luke after this letter that Paul wrote to the church in Rome. Luke tells that Paul's trip to Jerusalem took him a total different direction. It didn't take God by surprise but it was different from what Paul was planning.

Now Margaret and I started 2024 with plans that for sure changed. We had built a house with plans of staying in it for years to come. I had problems the first day we moved in because I was used to moving but we had made plans to stay for a long time. But our life changed.

This is important to see. Psalm 127:1-2 (NIRV) says, "If the Lord doesn't build a house, the work of the builders is useless. If the Lord doesn't watch over a city, it's useless for you to work from early morning until late at night just to get food to eat. God provides for those he loves even while they sleep."

Listen, it's not all on us. God has a plan and he will take care of us. He can be trusted and for sure we need to trust him. Yes, God will take care of us, "God provides for those he loves even while they sleep."

Yes, Paul had a plan but God had another one. Yes going to Rome was God's plan but Paul saw it as a drop off place on his way to Spain. But God's plan was different. You see, on his trip to Jerusalem which all of his friends told him wasn't safe but he didn't take their advice because Paul had a plan. Now God's plan was for Paul to minster as a prisoner all the way to Rome where he finished his life as a prisoner but who wrote a big portion of the New Testament while there as a prisoner.

Listen, God knows what he is doing. He has a plan.

All through his ministry on earth, Jesus kept telling his disciples that he was going to be killed but after three days would be resurrected. His disciples had other plans. Now even Jesus prayed right before he was going to be arrested for other plans. But God knew what he was doing. And he has a plan for our lives.

Yes, 2024 and the first part of 2025 have been different from what we had planned. But we know that God is a part of our life and that he knows what he is doing and h will take care of us, he will provide for us.

We sometimes head off in our direction but God has a way of bringing us to his desired plan. Yes, we are definitely in a different place than we had planed but God knows what he is doing and "God provides for those he loves even while they sleep." Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning

Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit?

Nehemiah 6:16b (NLT), "They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Tuesday... I wonder what would happen if we didn't take the credit? Over in the Old Testament in the book of Nehemiah it tells of a major task that through the leadership of Nehemiah was accomplished. The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down and God had laid it on Nehemiah to build those walls back up. It was definitely an almost impossible task but Nehemiah 6:15-16 says, "So on October 2 the wall was finished - just fifty-two days after we had begun. When our enemies and the surrounding nations heard about it, they were frightened and humiliated. They realized this work had been done with the help of our God." Now, we so many times want to take credit for doing the impossible. It would make such a difference for us. But I wonder what would happen through us if God got the credit? Psalm 96 tells us what we are to do. Verses 2-3 says, "Sing to the LORD; praise his name. ...

Tuesday... We just have trouble listening.

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." Tuesday... We just have trouble listening. Over in Jeremiah 25:4 (NLT) it says, "Again and again the LORD has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention." And Jeremiah went on to tell what was going to happen. There will be consequences if we do not listen to what God says through his Word. Now the Apostle Paul over in 1 Corinthians was having a problem with some professed Christ followers who were having trouble at listening. And we too can have problems at listening. We can think that being a Christ follower means we do a lot of finger pointing and we give up on people who don't do what we say. We can even do that in our families. But Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT), "Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance." In verse ...

Thursday... Yet, now this is true.

Colossians 1:22a (NLT), "Yet now he has reconciled you to himself through the death of Christ in his physical body." Thursday... Yet, now this is true. Now Paul a prisoner in Rome is writing a letter to a church in Colossae. And in Colossians 1:21 (MSG) he says, "Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds" The NLT says "This includes you who were once far away from God. You were his enemies, separated by your evil thoughts and actions." And that is where so many in this world live today. They are blowing it and they don't know what to do. Yes, they are hostile in their minds and they are engaging in evil deeds but there is Good News. Now Paul in verses 19-20 sets the stage for an answer to those who don't want to live that way. He says, "For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and earth b...

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