His Plan My Plan

05.08.14

Matthew 25.16-18 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. (NIV)

I thought a little about this parable and realized (of course) there is far more to the story than what I think. First, the man going on the journey had a plan: I need to invest while I am gone so that when I return, I’ll have income to take care of my needs. Second, the man used his employees to invest for him while he was away. He knew his people and gave them seed money to invest. Third, the man knew his employees and gave them each a place in his plan according to their abilities.

And they performed accordingly.

The first man doubled his employer’s money, as did the second. These two also each had a plan: I have the boss’s money and I’m going to put it to work. And they did, and it did. The third man didn’t do so well, he struggled with coming up with something to do with his project money. I think he began with good intentions but then kept looking at his own abilities and he began to doubt and his doubt led to frustration and that led to inaction; and defeat.

The need for a plan is important for each of us. A plan helps us to define what it is we’re doing and what our preferred future will be. Each situation is different, and each year will differ from the previous. The goal however is to follow through with the plan; to do as we’ve planned to do and to adjust or revise the plan as needed.

Do you think God has a plan for our lives? Do you think you have a plan for God? What is God’s intention for our very lives here on earth? What is God’s plan for our lives in eternity? What has God given us that we are to in turn bring Him some return on His investment in us? Do you think God thinks that way about us? Do God treat us as investment partners?

What is my plan today? How am I to live investing what the Lord has given me so that I may bring Him return on His investment in me? What does that look like?

I think the simple answer for me is this: Lord, what shall I do for You this day? How can I take the things You have given me and bring You some measure of return for them? How am I to continue when I don’t see the results? Lord, what shall I do for You this day with who I am, what I know, and where You’ve placed me? It’s simply living for the Lord. It’s realizing my life is completely free to do whatever He asks of me. And then doing it. Seeking earnestly. Listening carefully. Obeying entirely.

Lord Jesus, today, show me the way. Holy Spirit, come and fill me with direction and purpose that I may be a part of Your causing the unlikely to do the unlikely. May my plans succeed as You have deemed they should, and may my life be on purpose for You. Amen.