A Thought For The Week Of November 9, 2015

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans." (Proverbs 16:3) We find Proverbs 16:3 in the midst of a somewhat scattered collection of proverbs - which is often the case with the Book of Proverbs (and it's worth reading perhaps all of Proverbs 16:1-9 to get the full context) - but the basic point of it all seems relatively clear and simple to me: as human beings, we all have our own plans - as we should. What would life be like if there were literally nothing to strive for; nothing that we seek to accomplish? But this verse and its surrounding context raise perhaps the most important question for a person of faith: are our plans and dreams and desires and goals  consistent with what God has planned for us? I don't believe that God determines every detail of our lives, but I do believe each of us has a calling - a plan that God has laid out for us. It's our choice whether or not to respond to that calling, but it's not always easy to figure out. The Book of Proverbs notes that sometimes (to us) our plans seem good and right and pure - but they just aren't God's plan for us. So we have to wonder: how do we discern when our plans are consistent or inconsistent with God's plans? After all, we aren't "called" to do everything that seems good, because we only have so much time and so many gifts and talents. This collection of proverbs doesn't really give us any specific guidance, but there are a few hints. If your plans are prideful - if you want to do something (even something good) primarily to be seen doing it and to get credit for it, that's a sign that it may not be a calling from God. If your plan requires you to be less than honest to succeed, that's a sign that it may not be a calling from God. And even when our plans and our motives seem pure to us, we still have to place ourselves in the hands of God's grace, because it may still not be God's calling on my life. In that case I trust God to "establish my plans" and still be able to work through me for the benefit of others.