November 10, 2023
If you want a better chapter, have a better plan.
What’s your plan?
• Some of you aren’t happy at your job. What’s your plan! Well, Jeff, my plan is to stay there forever and just keep complaining. You’re not a tree! If you don’t like where you are, move! Some of you listening to this talk today may be starting to think: Maybe I’m going to dust off my resume. Maybe I’m going to go back to school, or learn a trade, or start taking some courses online.
• Some of you might say, “Well, my marriage is struggling right now.” What’s your plan? You say: “We’re going to go to counseling. We haven’t been able to figure this out on our own and so we’re going to go and get some help clarifying things.”
• Financially, what’s your plan? Some of you might be acting like your plan is to spend more than you make. If that’s your plan, it’s not a good one. But you might crunch the numbers and say, “This boat won’t float.” So, you’re going to cut up your credit cards, start paying down your debt, work your plan and get out of trouble.
• What’s your health plan? Eat, sleep, eat some more. I mean, if you want to honor God with your health, create a plan. Here’s what I eat and when I eat. This is the time of day that I go for a walk or do a workout.
• How about friends? If all your friends are stoned 80% of the time, and they’re all broke, and they’re all far from God, maybe you need a different plan when it comes to the people you’re spending your life with. Because you’re going to become like the people you surround yourself with.
It is a Law of Life: The decisions you make today determine the story you tell tomorrow.
The decisions that you are making right now are writing the chapter that will be published tomorrow.
Let’s Pray.
I wonder how many of you would say, just real honestly now, there’s some part of your life that you wish wasn’t in this chapter. You want something different. You want something better. You want something more. It could be something for you; it could be something for someone you love. But you’re asking God for a better chapter.
Father, I pray that even though we can’t see You now, we thank You that You are here – that You’re even with us in the chapters that we don’t understand. So, help us trust You.
And, Father, help us do our part – to create a plan and work hard. But, Father, ultimately, we know that we depend on You. Thank You for Your providence in our life. You’re so good to us. Thank You for the new chapter that You’re writing in our life.
Thank You, Father, especially for your plan to save us and bring us home to heaven. You sent Jesus to die for us. That’s your plan. You sent Jesus to defeat death. That’s Your plan. And I want to thank You for letting me be a part of it. Thank You that there is a chapter of my life that is called “Heaven.” And there is a chapter of my life that is called “Victory.” And there is a chapter of my life that is called “Glory.”
Thank You, Jesus, I pray this in Your Name. Amen.
