Jessica Albritton, Family Connections Minister, LHBC
2 Corinthians 1:12-24
For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand— just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you. Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.
I would describe myself as a pretty put together person. I am detail oriented so event planning is my jam! If you want an event to be successful you have to think through a lot of details. Simply showing up and hoping for the best just won’t cut it. Things like the schedule, decoration, program, food, all the little details have to be considered and planned out. But let me be honest, I am not naive in believing that life always goes according to plan. There are definitely bumps in the road and kinks that happen in any plan. That’s just the nature of life though, isn’t it? Change? I believe Max Lucado said it best when he made the statement, “If you’re looking for a place with no change, try a soda machine.” I have been working in events for long enough now that I can think pretty quickly on my feet when those hiccups happen. Things don’t happen the way originally planned? No problem, on to plan B!
When reading through the book of 2 Corinthians we see that Paul too had to make a last minute change in his plans. Paul had been planning to travel back to visit the church in Corinth after a stop in Macedonia but circumstances outside of his control led him to shift his plans and go a different course. Many in Corinth accused Paul of indecisiveness and criticized his inconsistency. Paul pens his letter to the church defending his actions and explains that while human plans may change on a dime, God’s mission never does. Though we may have to move on from plan A to plan B the mission given us by God to go into the world making disciples does not waiver, it does not change. As humans we don’t get the privilege of seeing the big picture all the time but we can take comfort in knowing that God does and He remains in control. While the world may change, the Lord remains constant.
Has life ever thrown you for a loop? Have man made plans ever fallen apart? Friend, I have great news, our plans may change but the mission doesn’t. God calls us to the mission and we are commissioned to fulfill it regardless of if it goes according to our plan or not. When life gives you pause, pray to the Lord, ask Him to reveal the next step! I can assure you that His plans are better! Don’t let a bump in the road distract you from the mission set before you!
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Heavenly Father, lead me in Your ways! Lord, when human plans fail and I have to go in a different direction, remind me that YOU have plans for me! Lead me to seek Your will, not mine. Keep me focused on YOUR mission, not MY plan. In Jesus name, amen!
MEMORY VERSE FOR THE WEEK
Psalm 27:1
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?