God's purpose is greater than our plans

(Part 2) 

“Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’ Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods. And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’ “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”-Luke 12:16-21

In Luke 12 we read the story of a rich man, who accumulated great wealth. So much so, that he began to run out of places to store it. After giving it some thought, he determined that he would build bigger barns so that he would have room enough to contain it. He then decided that with this great windfall he would kick back, relax, and enjoy life. Never once did he consult the Lord about what to do with this great wealth. 

The Lord chastised him and declared that a person that stores up earthly wealth without being rich towards God is a fool. This man had his life planned out. He thought that the purpose of his life was to simply eat, drink and be merry; however James 4:14 cautions us against such thinking:

“How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.”

Instead, James declares: “What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil.”-James 4:15-16

Notice the alignment between God’s will and our will. Those are the only plans that will succeed. James calls the plans we make, apart from Him, pretentious which means exaggerated or more important than they really are. When we make our plans more important than His purpose then we are guilty of boasting. In fact, Proverbs 19:21 tells us:

“You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.”

God’s purpose is greater than our plans. If your life isn’t turning out the way that you planned it, perhaps that’s because you never check to see if your plans aligned with His purpose. 

Pastor Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church