Principles for planning

Notes from a sermon heard on Sunday 8 January 2012

James 4 verses 1 – 17

Principles for planning

James says there are certain principles we need before we make plans for life.  Verse 15 “ye ought to say if the Lord will”.  Not a sentiment or a phrase to roll off the tongue, it has to be the foundation of everything.

The first principle for planning – a sympathy to the will of God.  An awareness that there is a bigger and fuller plan.  All the plans we make must coincide with God’s greater plan.  God has a plan for us and wants every plan to fit in with that plan and once we do that there will be blessing in our lives.  James talks of a sovereign God who reigns and all our plans must coincide with his plans.  James doesn’t rebuke this people for doing so – verse 13 “go to now”.  In other words let’s consider for a moment. He looks to this people, sees all the business men, the family men with so many plans made and says “lets for a second consider a few pointers.”  He is not scolding or rebuking them for making plans but the mistake this people made were simply neglecting the sovereign God and his plan.  These people were saying they were going down to the city, would live there for a year and make a profit or gain.  James says “hold on let’s bring God into the situation.”  No matter what plans we have made they must coincide with God’s plan.  From the moment you were saved, from the moment he brought you to Calvary, instilled into you that you needed to be saved, accepted him as Saviour did you realise God has a plan for your life and my life?  In Luke 12 we see it very much in the life of this ambitious farmer’s life.  Remember how he had a great harvest.  First thing we see about him was he worked hard, ploughed the field, sowed the seed and the land brought forth plentifully.  God had worked in abundantly providing the crops.  It left the farmer with a problem.  The moment he could see the crops he began to consider the situation he was in.  He looked at his little barns and knew one thing for sure – the barns would be no use to him.  He began to make plans.  The thought came to him – I will have to pull down these barns and build bigger ones.  He set about building them and it took a bit of time.  He was probably a young, fit, healthy man with many years ahead of him.  He had plans not only for today and tomorrow but the ages to come.  Verse 19 the man decided to take things easy as he had much laid up for many years but God says of this man “thou fool”.  He didn’t say that lightly.  What this man didn’t realise on the particular day that he made his plans was that there was another plan God had already designed.  His days were numbered because God said to him “thou fool this night thy soul shall be required of thee.”  In other words you will fill these barns but who will they be for?  There was a plan working that this man never even thought of.  In James the people had planned to go to a city for a year to make money but didn’t know that was not part of God’s plan.  One thing is for certain James said - you didn’t know whether you will gain or lose all. 

The second principle – seeking God’s will.  Verse 15 “if the Lord will”.  It is one thing to be sympathetic to God’s will but another thing to start seeking for it.  Once you start seeking for God’s will for your life it can fly in the face of the plans you have made.  Imagine for a moment before the Government would take any decisions the Government would say “let’s set up a committee, set them up in a room, tell them here’s the plan we want to make but we will ask God what he thinks.”  Imagine what would happen.  What about ourselves?  It is my plan to do this but what would it be like to bring it to God and say “this is my plan for today how is it for you?”  Imagine that in our lives, in our work places, churches if we were to seek God’s plan?  If we were to make a point each morning asking God to show us his way for the day ahead.  Remember the 2 builders who went out to build a house each.  One wanted to build on the sand, the other on the rock.  The foundation becomes the word of God.  They are like those who hear the word of God turn their back on it and go out and do what they want to.  The man who builds on the sand is like the man who neglects the word of God.  That is like asking God for his plan for my life then when we are told it we say “it doesn’t fit into my plan so I will go my own way.”  They are like people building on a poor foundation who when they hit a rough patch in life where do they turn to?  They have no foundation, they are not in God’s plan.  We need to seek God, find out what he would have us to do.  Is God really in our plan?  Need to be careful.  We should say “if the Lord will.”  Saul on the road to Damascus asked “Lord what will you have me to do?”  Moses when he brought the people out of Egypt into the wilderness he went up into the mountain and said “Lord show me the way.”  We are responsible for that family God has given to us.  You are responsible for that Sunday School class.  You are responsible for the souls that you teach.  It is so important that you and I get to grips and know what God would have us to do.  David the king of Israel said “as for God his way is perfect.”

Third principle is - a surrender to God’s will.  The application of that statement of James is a statement saying “don’t go against the will of God.”  Has God been speaking to you today at this present phase in your life.? What is he saying today?  Surrender to it?  Paul’s advice to the Roman Christians in chapter 12 was “I beseech you therefore, brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”  It only comes when we surrender our all.  No other time.  We surrender our all to the Lord and say to him “thy will be done.”  Joseph when he went down into Egypt surrendered to the Lord’s will.  That surrender was to the evil of his brothers.  Joseph told them “you meant this for evil but all the time God was working it out for good.  He became the second in line to Pharoah.  God’s plan took him there.  What are we doing this morning?  Have we thought about what we hope to do or where we will be at the end of the year?  Have we sought the Lord for his perfect will?  Have we surrendered everything to him?  Have we said “I will lay my all on the altar, everything to you Lord, take it and use it for your glory?”