Exposition

Through planning, we can secure a good future for our families. Years ago, I had a friend who made no plans, set no goals, and aimed at nothing. He said that he wanted to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit before he decided on anything. He asked the Lord whether he should go to work that day, brush his teeth, or use deodorant, needless to say, he did not keep a job very long. My friend believed that the Holy Spirit leads people only in a spontaneous way. That is, he does not move them to make plans, but in the Bible, we see Paul making plans. Sometime later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing. Jesus himself made plans: we see it in the ways he moved from place to place to minister. We cannot claim that these men were not Spirit-led in their planning.

Just as we cannot build a home without blueprints, we cannot have a solid family structure without plans for the future. One of the noblest characteristics of an ant is the way it plans by storing food in good times for use when times are bad. It’s an example we can all follow as well. The Proverbs 31 woman is an example of someone whose planning is key to good home building. We’re told she worked hard, she spent wisely, and she planned ahead. When we plan, we experience more margin and freedom in our lives – which means we are freed to further God’s work here on earth. When you plan ahead, there is money left to give generously. Good families analyse the budget to make sure the needs of the family are covered; they plan ahead for those purchases to get the best deals in order to spend wisely.