Thought for Today
Proverbs 3:29 Do not plan harm against your neighbor who lives trustingly beside you.
Isaiah 14:26 This is the plan that is planned concerning the whole earth; and this is the hand that is stretched out over all the nations. 27 For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?
Matthew 6:34 "So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today.
Our Bible does not speak too much to the topic of planning and scheduling. In my first career as a project engineer and manager, planning and scheduling were critical requirements for the success of any project. Not only was it necessary to plan and schedule every step of the design and construction of each project, it was also necessary to carefully plan and schedule all of the associated costs. Our clients needed the most accurately possible forecasts of the required cash flow to allow them to manage their finances. At the same time, our own management needed accurate forecasts of our own costs and revenues.
This is, in part, on my mind today because our congregation is preparing for our annual meeting where we will review and discuss the events of last year and the plans for the year to come.
One of the most daunting aspects of all planning and scheduling involves the synchronization of all the various calendars associated with the events or organizations involved. Most of us live our lives around our calendar year. There are 12 months of various lengths, each month composed of 7-day weeks. Today is the 9th day of the 9th month of our calendar year. However, many companies and many organizations operate according to fiscal years that do not neatly correspond to the calendar year. There are many reasons for doing so. The reasons for one organization or company to choose to begin and end their fiscal year on a particular month are often unique to the organization or company. In fact, the reasons may be antithetical to every other company or organization with which they interface.
Just to keep things interesting, our U.S.A. government also has its own operating calendar. Every citizen, every company and every organization, with the exclusion of non-profits, must pay yearly income taxes. The intricacies and complexities of our tax codes are beyond the scope of this discourse . . . and are far beyond the scope of my ability to understand them. What I do understand is that my own life is organized around our calendar, and the income taxes I owe are based on our income from January through December . . . and our taxes are then due in April.
The whole issue of plans, schedules and synchronizing them all taking into account all the various calendars governing and impacting those plans and schedules can be very complex. It is also very taxing, in both senses of the word. So, what does Jesus mean by, “Today's trouble is enough for today?” Don’t individual Christians and all churches need to plan and schedule their lives and their finances?
I have always loved the 5th and 6th chapters of Matthew. They contain wonderful messages and explanations for daily life, especially in the context of some deep theology. There we find the Beatitudes, the Lord’s Prayer and that verse above about keeping life in perspective, “Today's trouble is enough for today.” Basically, I find Jesus telling us to look at God’s Creation all around us. Notice all of the good which God has provided. There is a reason why I end each of these Thoughts with the words “trust God” before my signature. Jesus rightfully and meaningfully points out there to us the ultimate truth, “6:27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?”
It's okay to plan and schedule. Sometimes it’s necessary. But we must always remember, "6:24 No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Christians and Christian churches must always keep our focus on serving God through worship and through our lives. And, sometimes, we need to carefully plan and schedule it all.
Stay safe, serve God in all you are and do, trust God,
Pastor Ray