LIFE [pt. 2]

The word of the day: BALANCE.

During my teen years, I wanted to be so close to God. I fasted, prayed, read the Word, and strived to live right. I started having this mentality around senior year and especially my first two years of college, that if God doesn't say to do it I will not do it. Now, on the surface that may seem all fine and even admirable... but I wasn't planning things myself. I was just waiting for God. And not really "waiting" I was just being lazy. I would count on altar workers or people I viewed as very spiritual and in touch with God to tell me what God wanted me to do. I started using these people as psychics in a way. Palm readers or something.

Then my dad said something that at first I thought was wrong. "Jesse, you have to pray about everything. But there comes a time when you then have to DO something." It stung a little. I thought my father was being un-spiritual. Me do something? God does everything. But Proverbs 16.9 says "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." This verse doesn't knock down man planning his course. Actually, God gave us a brain to think and muscles to move and act. We should be planning, through prayer, what our course should be. The key? Ultimately knowning that the Lord has the last word on our steps. Actually, the Message version says: "We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it."

So BALANCE right? Making a plan for succes in our lives. Takign inventory of what we have, prayerfully considering what God wants us to do.. and then carrying out that GOD-plan. Last time I said success starts with a decision. And now I am saying. Success ends by carrying out the GOD-plan. There has to be action following that decision.