God Is Good All The Time!!

What's The Plan? - Part 1

This is part 1 of the life plan I talked about. This one is titled mission and values. In the intro I talked about stumbling. Most people go through life stumbling around, without a plan, without preparing, without passion, and without focus from God. I will be the first to admit, that is me.

Where there is no vision, the people will perish... Proverbs 29:18

Where there is no vision for a Godly family, 1 in 2 marriages end in divorce. Don't they?

Where there is no vision for financial freedom, we are in the richest country and be the most debt-ridden people alive. Aren't we?

Where there is no vision for a healthy body, I can just look in the mirror and realize that there is no six pack...it looks more like a keg.

When there is no vision, people wander through life and stumble. I can just listen to people here at work to know what their goal is. It is their goal to make to the weekend, pay their bills, if I can just get a raise, holding marriages together for the sake of kids, keep their children out of jail, and the list goes on. Where there is no vision, the people perish.

Craig Groeschel uses a word chazown (khaw-zone), which is the hebrew word for vision. It means a dream, a revelation, or vision.

Assignment - rate last week on a scale of 1 to 10. What is your rating based on? Not closing a deal at work, fight with your spouse, kids acting up, maybe your hair just isn't doing what you want? I know it is rough...you should be thankful you have hair. haha! If low, why? If high, why? You did close the deal, you had a date night with your spouse, kid got a good grade, the Sooners just got a huge commitment for next season. How do YOU define success? What does GOD say success is in your life? Everyone wants a great life, but most people don't even know how to recognize a great week...much less, how to create one.

What is your mission in life? I have a 2 part challenge for you, which will lay the foundation for the remaining parts.

1. Prayerfully uncover your values. What core values has God planted in you?

Our responsibillity is never to oppose the truth, but to stand for the truth at all times. 2 Cor 13:8

What is ultimate truth? God's Word...is living inspired truth. God has planted in our hearts a passion for searching His truth. Have you ever wondered why you care about something more than others? God has planted within each of us certain values. What are your core values? What do you stand for? Pray and try to come up with 5 to 10 core values for your foundation.

2. Prayerfully discover your mission. What is it that we are about? Why are we here?

But Abraham's servant said, 'I don't want to eat until I have told you why I have come.' 'All right,' Laban said, 'tell us your mission.' Genesis 24:33

To go through life without even being able to define what we were created for, is a tragedy. If I ask what is your mission...I hope the answer is more than to take life easy.

Paul: I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may...complete the task...of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. Acts 20:24

How do you define what your mission is? Fill in the blanks to that statement. I consider my life worth nothing to me if only I may _____________. What do you say there? If I did this...I would feel like I did what God called me to do.

Jesus: For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. Luke 19:10

Scripture also says what Jesus was not about. Your mission will tell you what you do and don't do. He said His mission was not to condemn but to bring freedom.

Many people have a vision for your time and resources. Even great people like family, friends, boss, and co-workers. They have a vision for what they want to see you do. Their vision usually doesn't line up with what God wants. Jesus told the disciples that one day He was going to give up His life and die on the cross. Peter had a different vision for Jesus and spoke up...

Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 'Never, Lord!' he said. 'This shall never happen to you!' Matthew 16:22

Start preparing your one sentence mission statement. I know it is tough....it is supposed to be. Why is this so important? Because we are called to do life as God has called us to, with the values He placed in our lives.

People have a different vision for my money...they have trained us to feel okay about being in bondage with debt. People have a different vision for what we eat...every fast food restaurant wants us to super-size.

People have a different vision for my family. We will live a simpler, less materialistic way than most. My wife will stay home and raise our kids...which we don't use birth control, we will let the Lord open and close the womb. We will homeschool them. We will be strict with them. They will help out with chores because we are a family. We will raise our kids up in the Lord and prepare them for the world before we send them out in it. People may say we are weird and aren't normal. Frankly, I see normal and don't like it. I'm in the public schools everyday, and it is scary. We plan to be weird, normal doesn't seem to be working. Bottom line, we don't answer to people on how we raise our kids...we answer to God.

You pursue what God tell you to pursue. Everyone ends up somewhere...but we will seek the heart of God, we will hear from God, and we will end up somewhere on purpose. What is God calling for you to be about?