Road Map

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
   --Ephesians 3:20, NLT

So for me, today was the first day of classes in a new semester and I know that K-12 has recently started back from Christmas break, including exams/tests!
Jesus Calling today was perfect. I often worry about what I'm doing, the classes I'm taking, and whether or not they are really getting me anywhere. While I can plan for my future, I do not know what it holds. I have to trust God and thank Him for His plan for me. 
Abiding by God's Presence is the best road map available.

Today, not only Jesus Calling but also Joe Gibb's Game Plan for life both talked about "road maps" and "game plans." We don't know what is going to happen to us, we aren't psychics, we can't see the future, we don't have a crystal ball, that is just not how it works. It just never stops coming back around to trust. We have to trust that God is in control of our future, that the road map and game plan he has for us is what is meant for us and good for us. We have a tendency to think we deserve to know things or that we might be more prepared if we knew, but doesn't that sort of take away part of the zest and surprise that life holds for us? The preparation for events and the future is trusting God and spending time with Him. He isn't going to show us what is on our road map or game plan, but He most certainly will prepare us for what is ahead by equipping us with the tools we need, such as courage, perseverance, faith, etc. He is always with us, every single step we take. Some of us choose to have Him more present in our lives than others. Communication with Him is key in keeping your faith strong.
To some degree, you have to plan for things, and plan for trips, etc., but God doesn't want us to get so wrapped up in the planning that we forget about what is most important. If He always told us what was going to happen, then what would be the point of all this? He presents us with opportunities.
Think about this example... You are just really feeling pumped up today and wanting to pay it forward. You decide you want to help out a homeless person. Or pay for someone's meal in the drive-thru. You think it through and plan everything to the 't'. Well I'm going to go to this McDonald's and this time and I'm going to watch people come into the parking lot in their cars and if they look needy then I will hop in line and take care of their check. or I will go to this street corner at this time and give this man exactly this amount of money or food. Things don't really work that way, sure you can plan out that you're going to help someone out on a certain day of the week or something like that, but God is in control of all this and He is the one that presents you with these opportunities when we and the other person(s) need it most. Spontaneous generosity, that could even be just a smile or friendly word.

Going back to where I started off, we have to have a game plan for life, but that doesn't mean that we know what that game plan is. It is really God's game plan for our individual lives, a road map. We have to trust that God is in control. We have to communicate with Him daily and throughout each day. When we communicate with Him, we can ask for things and pray for others, but once you ask Him once, every other time you want to pray about it, instead try thanking Him for what He has planned for that "request." 
Never delay gratitude. Always thank for more than you ask for.


On a bit of a separate note...
This is my 2nd or 3rd year reading through Jesus Calling, and it is amazing to me how from one year to the next on a certain day the devotion can have a totally different meaning for what you're going through at the time. It really just amazes me how no matter how many times you've read through Jesus Calling, it never fails to be timely, which really just goes to "prove," in my opinion, how great and powerful God is. It's not like he flipped through Jesus Calling and changed up the devotions to different days on a new year or like He said well I'll just push this dilemma back a few days.



All of this ultimately comes from God, but for the sake of siting my resources the basis of these thoughts and ideas I've written today come from K-Love's Encouraging Word, Jesus Calling Jan 11th and 12th, Joe Gibb's Game Plan for Life Jan 12th.
 

The Game Plan
For three improbable afternoons at the recent British Open golf tournament, Tom Watson continually stood near or atop the leader board, smelling victory at an event he had won five times before, but not in more than twenty-five years. With each succeeding round and clubhouse interview, the spectacle became harder and harder to believe. Yet strangely, for the 59-year-old Watson, easy to explain.
He was on a "game plan," he repeatedly said, a secret code of attack he never revealed, except to say it existed and that he was on course with it. It was a game plan that took him to the 72nd hole and an eight-foot putt for par, inches away from an ageless wonder of a championship.
Game plans work. And though a slight bobble in execution at any point along the way can mean the difference between first and second, the fact remains that a good game plan can take you far—farther than you may have ever dreamed possible.
That's why the apostle Paul could say it's "not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me" (Philippians 3:12). Yes, missed putts can still prove costly. Missed opportunities can still nag at us. But what we lack in perfection is more than made up for as we "press on" with a set purpose. Life with a game plan is always superior to life without it. 

Pray this prayer: Lord, I know I can do better than just taking a hit-and-miss approach to life. I need a game plan. I need YOUR game plan. Help me to see it in your Word, and put it into practice every day. 

Please visit Joe Gibbs' Website at www.GamePlanForLife.com for Joe's Video Blog and more!