"So what's your plans for the day?"

"To man belongs the plans of the heart, but from the Lord comes the reply of the tongue."

-Proverbs 16:1

"Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed." v3

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." v9

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord purpose that prevails." - 20:21

Getting the picture?

It's like dodging snowballs this morning, the passages were just jumping off the page at me.

I keep learning about my pre-conceived notions about things and about plans and what my plans are and how warped they can be from what God has. Then I heard a verse on the radio last night and googled it this morning and as I was looking for it, I just kept running into all of these other ones.

Some things are just so good. Just some footnotes in my Bible that I trimmed up for grit.

v.1 - If the final out come is God's, he has the last say, then we often want to rock back and say, alright have at it, no plans. But there is a balance between our efforts and God's control. He didn't make us stupid and ignorant, he gave us minds if we could clean them up and think his way (Romans 12:2), they would function a lot better than they currently are. "Planning, then, helps us act God's way. As you live for him, ask for guidance as you plan, then act on your plan, as you trust in him." Like they said, "Planning without praying is presumption."

v3. Sounds good right. Sure commit to God and success. But I think we need to define commit first.

"Giving what we have to God by seeking his way in prayer, then with all of our efforts carrying out what God has given us like Christ, and leaving what the results should be upto God's sovereignty and superior mind." - my definition. Maybe it needs tweaked.

But my Bible hits on the head of ways that we don't commit:

-Superficially Commit - say it's being done for the Lord, but in reality they are doing it for themselves

-Temporarily Commit- giving God temporary control of their interests, only to take control back the moment things stop going the way they expect.

-Not Up To Me Commit- commit a task fully to the Lord, but put for no effort themselves, then wonder why it didn't succeed.

-True Commit- trusting God as if everything depends on him, while working as if it depends on us, then having open hands as to what the end result looks like

v9- I think it's pretty set. We make whatever plans we want, but God doesn't back down easy. He has a tendency of doing things the way he wants. Doesn't compromise well, and I appreciate that, because I wouldn't want him meeting some of my short-sighted demands or plans. It goes along with 20:24 "A man's steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?"

James kinda hits this up in James 4:13-14 "Now listen, (good start) you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.' Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." He goes onto talk about how we should say if it is the Lords will, (but not just say it but actually believe it, with open hands and willingness to change plans) we will live and do this or that. Kinda makes me laugh. James going, "Ya'll think your clever, right? Got it all figured out about how it's gonna work. Don't you remember that your a spec in the timeline, that this life is bigger than you. You're only like a fart in the wind (not that we stink, but I think we all know how this concept works), not being here that long. So give what you have to God and let him do with you whatever he wants. You know that, if you know the good that your suppose to be doing, but your not doing it, your disobeying God, which means your sinning, right? Well, it does."

Plans. Plans. Plans. My plans was to have this finished and published this morning. But I do have to go to class and share what I know with others. So I'll save this for later, or publish it now and get back to you. One closing thought just about living:

Don't get caught in what you did yesterday, or worried about what will happen tomorrow.

Life today that you have been given. Today is the day that you can live.

You've already lived yesterday. You can live tomorrow when it becomes today.