Come up with a Plan

More on the subject of goal setting, Proverbs 4:26 says, “Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.”  The word translated “ponder” means “to weigh,” as in scales and balances.   The definition speaks of something my wife’s grandfather, Roy Thomas used to do.  When he had a decision to make he would take a piece of paper, fold it in half and begin to list the pros and cons on each side of the paper.  When he was finished, he would “ponder” or “weigh” the facts on his list and make his decision accordingly.  

Jesus spoke of this in regard to salvation: “…For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ ”  

I want to suggest that the process is the same no matter what we set out to do.  If we are going to build a building or save money or be healthy – it requires a plan.  If your goal is to have a better marriage, what are you going to do to get it?  If you want to retire, how are you going to afford it?  If you want to be healthy, what is it going to take in order to lose weight? 

Spiritually, we set a course and to get there we need to come up with a plan.  If we want our church to grow, how are we going to do that?  If your goal is to grow closer in your relationship with God, what are you going to do to foster that relationship?  If you are going to make disciples, we need to talk about whom and then talk about how.  The same foresight that it takes to accomplish any goal is also required when we speaking in spiritual terms.  We cannot afford to fly by the seat of our pants.

So we need to come up with a plan that matches our expectations.  What we are doing now will incrementally affect our future.  So let me encourage you to count the cost of what you are doing, because the decisions we make will in so many ways determine where we go.

Even if that decision is to do nothing. 

Know Where You're Headed

Without being trite - we are over a month into the New Year, and I’ve been unusually focused on my expectations for 2014.  To do so is to walk a fine line between faith and forethought.   Somehow we have been conditioned to believe that we cannot have both. 

And yet, both are required.

Proverbs 4:25 says, "Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you." (Proverbs 4:25).  Our sight and our gaze should be focused on the path ahead, both to watch where we are going and to show unswerving determination to our task. (Lennox, S. J. (1998). Proverbs: a Bible commentary in the Wesleyan tradition (p. 62). Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House) 

One of the challenges we face concerning our future is to know where we are going.  Obviously faith plays a large role in this, yet we are also encouraged to use sound judgment and wisdom.  A wise course develops from careful forethought.  So I began to ask myself, “Where am I going?”   And in order to answer that question, we have to talk about change. 

When did we become so resistant to change by the way?

Instead of addressing where we are now, let’s begin to talk about where we want to go and what we want to be. Once we get a clear picture of our preferred future, our behavior will change.  That’s what knowing where you are headed does.  It allows us to see where we are in relation to where we need to be.  Focusing on the past and telling me I need to be different is not convincing.  But point me toward my preferred future and help me discover what I need to do in order to get there…now I am inspired. 

So the best place to begin any conversation about change is to know where you are headed.  What could be?  What should be?  What must be!  And by painting a compelling picture of where we could be, we’ll become discontented enough with where we are to change.  (Stanley, Andy (2012-09-25). Deep & Wide: Creating Churches Unchurched People Love to Attend (pp. 271-272). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.)   

The challenge is to know where you are headed.