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Devotional Thoughts

 Devotional Thoughts
 The Spiritual Side of Our Website

This part of the site features monthly devotional thoughts by the Association's Chaplain, with the goal of encouraging Signal Corps OCS Graduates to be exceptional in their lives and to live life at a higher level. Our current Chaplain is of the Christian faith, so naturally his devotionals are fashioned around his Christian beliefs. Your comments and suggestions are welcome and can be offered directly to the Chaplain by eMail at: MaxHolt@ArmySignalOCS.com


by LTC (R) Max Holt, Class 02-67

January 2017

Planning Ahead

LTC (R) Max Holt - TodayLTC (R) Max Holt

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

 



Prior Month Devotionals
May '11 Jun '11 Jul '11 Aug '11 Sep '11 Oct '11 Nov '11 Dec '11 Jan '12 Feb '12 Mar '12 Apr '12
May '12 Jun '12 Jul '12 Aug '12 Sep '12 Oct '12 Nov '12 Dec '12 Jan '13 Feb '13 Mar '13 Apr '13
May '13 Jun '13 Jul '13 Aug '13 Sep '13 Oct '13 Nov '13 Dec '13 Jan '14 Feb '14 Mar '14 Apr '14
May '14 Jun '14 Jul '14 Aug '14 Sep '14 Oct '14 Nov '14 Dec '14 Jan '15 Feb '15 Mar '15 Apr '15
May '15 Jun '15 Jul '15 Aug '15 Sep '15 Oct '15 Nov '15 Dec '15 Jan '16 Feb '16 Mar '16 Apr '16
May '16 Jun '16 Jul '16 Aug '16 Sep '16 Oct '16 Nov '16 Dec '16 Jan 17 Feb 17 May 17 Apr 17

Click the picture below to listen to The Lord's Jukebox... a compilation of all of the devotional music posted since May 2011.

The Lord's Jukebox


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