Throughout our careers, most of us have heard
all the old sayings about the importance of planning ahead.
Planning was one of the primary essentials taught in OCS. Here
are a few of the standard sayings you will remember:
If you fail to plan; you plan to fail.
Your failure to plan does not
constitute an emergency for me.
Poor prior planning leads to pi _ _
poor performance. (I’m the Chaplain…)
Here are a few more:
“A man who does not plan long ahead
will find trouble at his door.” Confucius
“Always plan ahead. It wasn’t raining
when Noah built the ark.” Richard Cushing
“There are some people who live in a
dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there
are those who turn one into the other.” Douglas H.
Everett
“Plans are only good intentions unless they
immediately degenerate into hard work.” Peter Drucker
Since we just celebrated Christmas, it might
interest you to know the prior planning God put into the first
one. It started about 550 years before Jesus was born. The Prophet
Daniel was taken into captivity as a young man, when Jerusalem was
conquered. (You may remember the story of Daniel in the lion’s
den.) In captivity in Babylon, he so impressed the Persian King,
Darius, that Daniel was made second in command of the kingdom. He
was allowed to teach his values and his religion to the ‘wise
men’ of the Kingdom. One aspect of that teaching would have
certainly been the prophesy of the coming Messiah…Jesus. The
wise men of the Kingdom would have passed that teaching down to
their future generations. SO…about 500 years later, when the MAGI
saw the Bethlehem star in the sky, (see Matthew, Chapters 1 and 2),
they knew what it meant. They considered it to be so significant
that they took the very expensive and time-consuming trip to
Bethlehem…taking two years to get there. When they finally visited
Jesus, God gave them a dream that Jesus was in danger from King
Herod, and they warned Joseph to escape that night. He heeded the
warning and took Jesus to Egypt…escaping the death sentence Herod
had issued for all two-year-old and younger boys in Bethlehem.
So….God’s prior planning ensured that the wise
men would save Jesus’ life through their warning. Wow…a plan,
hatched about 500 years before it was implemented! Now,
that’s planning. (For details, read the Old Testament book
of Daniel.)
I wonder, have you done any planning
for your 2017? Aside from New Year’s Resolutions, have you done any
serious planning? The other day, I heard a guy say, “I
hope 2017 turns out better than 2016.” Well, HOPE is fine…but,
the truth is, it is NOT a plan. Successful PLANS tend to be
accompanied by action.
So, what actions are you planning in
2017…financially, relationally, professionally and spiritually? I
have a recommendation; read Jeremiah 29:11 – “I know the plans I
have for you, declares the Lord, plans to help you and not to harm
you; plans to give you a hope and a future.” Then, keep your
relationship with God close enough that you can discern what His
plans are for you. He has lots of experience at planning!
Have a blessed 2017!
Max Holt, Class 02-67
Association Chaplain
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Prior Month Devotionals
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