Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running after them. For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. (Luke 17:22-25)
Time management is important. I keep a calendar to account for my day and eliminate distractions. A click onto Facebook can result in an hour of wasted time. God wants me to finish my novel and write my daily devotional blog, so I don’t have time to waste. In Jeremiah 29:11-12 the Lord declares: “For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” He has a plan of prosperity and hope for you, too. For our plans to succeed we must be in constant communication with God, asking for the power of the Holy Spirit and making sure we’re following His plan and not our own.
God reveals His plan for Jesus’ life in this Scripture. On the way to Jerusalem, He’ll finish instructing us to be good disciples, reveal a dream in us, and begin to show us how to fight suffering as He makes changes in us. We’ve already learned we must pray, keep God’s kingdom alive on earth by passing on His love, forgiving, and encouraging. Today we learn not to go running after people who tell us where to find God. Such people are a distraction. We must have a relationship with God through Jesus to discover His plan for our lives. No one else can tell us what that plan is.
Jesus suffered rejection, thirst, hunger, beatings, and death by hanging on the cross. He did all that for us, so we can be free and be prepared to meet Jesus when we finally meet Him in person. He also came to earth to show us the way. His New Testament disciples will miss him. But they, like us, must discover their potential with the power of the Holy Spirit. When we study the Gospel, His plan for us lights up our universe like flashing lightning in darkness. Yet some still reject Him, not realizing they need a savior and need to repent to be ready when we meet Him again.
Father God, reveal your plan for my life, so I can live life to its fullest. Give me a plan this week to better manage my time and avoid distractions, unless they are Yours. Help me realize distractions of people asking me to do things you don’t want me to do. Thank you, God, for suffering for me, listening to me, and showing me how to defeat suffering, so I can live life abundantly. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.
With a 6 year old in our house, there are a lot of distractions. I can have a plan for the day that totally goes off course, because my daughter and grandson are living with me. I believe God wants me to be flexible in this part of my life. I have a very unique opportunity right now that God has blessed me with. It is a chance that most grandparents don’t get. I have a chance to love and nurture my grandson everyday. I am able to help my daughter while her husband is gone for his job. I believe that this is what God wants for me. I believe that God has put this opportunity in front of me for a reason. I am trying to soak up every good thing about it. On the bad days, when it is not so easy to have two extra people in the house, I try to handle it with grace and prayer. Thankfully, the hard days are infrequent. So, if I have a plan for the day and Trey says let’s go play soccer in the yard, I need to let the plan go, and it isn’t always easy, and enjoy every moment with him. It has been a real learning curve for all of us.
Your plan for the day is loving and caregiving and that is wonderful. I’m so glad God has given you that opportunity. When you play soccer with Trey in the yard, please send me a video. You are also a great caregiver to your husband. Keep up the Good Work! I love you, Sis.