Develop Your Life Plan for 2007
-Living the Life God Meant for you to live-
James 4:14-15
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you,, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
As you think about developing your life plan for 2007 there are two extreme views you might take. First you might believe that setting goals and developing plans are not necessary. You have put your life in God’s hands and whatever will be, will be! Second, you might believe you are the master of your life and you alone have the ability to control your life so you will set goals according to your personal ambitions.
James gives the correct way to plan for this coming year: (James 4:13-15)
God expects our cooperation in carrying out His purpose for our life. When God created Adam and Eve he put then in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 2:15, “The Lord God took the man and put hi in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” God expected Adam to work in the Garden and take care of it.
God has a plan for your life in 2007. God expects you to develop in partnership with Him the plan He has for you.
When you go on a trip you have a couple of choices. You can plan where you want to go or you can plan as you go. You start out and drive 100 miles East and then decide to go 100 miles South and then 100 miles North and then 100 miles East again. After going 400 miles you begin looking for a Motel and the first Motel you stop at you find is booked for the night. A convention as come to that city and all Motels are booked. You need to keep driving.
Or you can get a map and calculate where you be will be after 8 hours and call ahead to a Motel and book a room in advance.
As you plan with God’s help your life in 2007 you will do well to develop your own life map. God wants to give you an exciting year, a year filled with His blessings. Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you,, plans to give you hope and a future.”
God’s plan of prosperity is more than financial prosperity. God’s prosperity plan means protection from the evil one and God’s promises you and your family hope and a bright future. When you embrace God’s plan you have the assurance of His salvation and the promise that God will direct your steps.
From time to time God’s plan turns out to be different than what we were planning. Our daughter Annette is 37 and going to school to become a teacher. Two of her children, Janae and Jake are living with us and going to our Christian School. Annette is several months pregnant and expecting a baby boy the end of May 2007. At that time Janae will be 18. God had a different plan for them than they were thinking.
As you plan your life for the coming year your life map will include at least five areas or domains: 1.Your personal life. 2. Your family life, 3. Your church life, 4. Your work life and 5. Your Community life. God has given you His map for all the areas and domains of your life, His Word and the Holy Spirit to guide you into truth.
Life is Lived on Four Different Levels
The most important area of the five domains of your life is your personal life. The goal of your personal life is to live a life of significance. Tom Patterson n his book, “Living the Life You Were Meant to Live” gives four levels of life people live on.
The lowest level is the level of survival. The majority of people live on the survival level. They live from hand to mouth. Every day is another SOS, Same O Same O, go to work, get paid, spend money, go to work, get paid, and spend money.
The second level is success. From the standards of this world most of you here today are successful. If you have a bed to sleep in, food to eat, water that is safe to drink, a car to drive, freedom to worship, and medical care you are successful and have a great future.
The third level is surrender. To live on the level of surrender you yield and surrender your life to God and are committed to living the life God created you to live. Romans 12:2 is a call to surrender: “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will. You live on the level of the surrendered live when you allow Jesus to transform your life from self-centeredness to Christ centeredness.
The fourth level is significance. You live on the level of significance when you know the meaning of life, you know how much you matter to God, and you know God’s purpose for your life and you are living out that purpose.
Our goal is to live the life God has planned for you. God created each of us for a purpose. We were made in the image of God and God has designed us to be like Jesus.
Every person created in the image of God is important. The Psalmist affirmed that fact in Psalm 139:14 “I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works; and my soul knows that full well.”
When God created you He gave you a great gift – the freedom to choose your destiny. You have the freedom to made wrong choices. When you make wrong choices you suffer the consequences. The writer of Ecclesiastes gave a short commentary on his life choices: “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I effused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:10-11.
God created you with the gift to choose whether you will fulfill His plan or choose to not fulfill His plan.
For you to develop your life plan you need to have an adequate view of God your creator. God loves you and is for you and not against you. God wants you to live and make choices in the light of eternity. Ecclesiastes 3:11, “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men’; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from the beginning to the end.” God has set eternity in the hearts of all men and women. Only God can satisfy that inborn longing for eternity.
To have the view that God is an angry heavenly Father and a tyrant who is out to make your life miserable is to have a false view of God and miss how to live the life God created you to live.
To know God’s plan for your life is to know Christ. To fully embrace God’s plan is to surrender your self will, your self pride, yourself centeredness, and self-determination to the Lordship of Christ.
The all important question is, “Do you know Jesus?” Not do you know something about Jesus, but do you know Jesus? The difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus is the difference between knowing someone and loving someone. You can know about a person, know a lot of facts about their life and read the person’s biography. On the other hand falling in love is more than factual, it is relational. Falling in love involves self-abandonment, and a willingness to offer all of your self to another person.
Falling in love with Jesus, is not only know about Jesus, it is knowing Jesus. God’s map plan for our lives is all about falling in love with Jesus and His church.
Remember when you decide to develop a Christ-centered life plan you become in direct conflict with the enemy of your soul. Satan temps you to develop a worldly plan, a self centered plan rather than a plan God has designed for you.
As you develop your life plan and map for 2007 the key is having a balance between the five domains of your life:
Personal Life
Family Life
Spiritual Life – Church
Work Life
Community Life
Each of these areas impacts all the other areas. When one is out of balance it for example a workaholic causes a crisis in the other life domains. As I mentioned before, the most important area or domain is your personal life.
As you begin the New Year I encourage you to set goals in all five domains of your life-think of Scripture that goes along with each area. To not set goals is to hit them every time. Make the commitment to stay strong in your resolve to meet your goals. If you are a member of a fitness club you will find that the first week of the New Year is jammed with people and then several weeks on into the year the crowd is thinned out. To get a good habit you need to practice it for 21 days and then you are on your way to accomplishing your goal.
Your Personal Life involves your physical health, emotions, mind, possessions and your general well being. Ephesians 5:15, “Live life then with a due sense of responsibility, not as men who do not know the meaning and purpose of life, but as those who do.” (Phillips) We are to be careful how we live. KJV says, “Walk circumspectly.” We are to walk diligently with a focused purpose in life. We are not to drift through life like a ship without a rudder. Ephesians 5:16, “Lived not as fools, but as wise. Make the most of every opportunity by doing good in these evil days.” NLT Romans 12:2 the Apostle Paul says, “Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God.”
Getting your personal life is order is crucial to the other domains in your life. As your personal life go so goes the rest of your life. As you set goals for your physical health, emotional health, mental health and develop a plan to meet the goals you set then you are on your way to living the life God meant you to live.
Your Family Life includes your immediate family, your extended family and your relatives. Ask your family several questions and then set goals for the coming year. “What can I do to better meet your needs?” “How can I be a greater help and support to you?” Learn to show love in practical ways in both words and deeds. “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.” Proverbs 22:6 Help your children and family members learn what they strengths are and help them focus on their strengths. “Train up a child according to his/her God given personality…” Don’t try to force your children into your mold. Help they find God’s mold and accentuate their strengths and minimize their weaknesses.
Make it a habit to tell your children of all ages, “I love you. I’m proud of you. You are good at _____________.” That’s what Paul means when he instructs children and parents, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and other” which is the first commandment with a promise --- that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy life on the earth.” Fathers, do not exasperate your children; (frustrate or infuriate) instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” Ephesians 6:1-4
As you set goals don’t set general goals. This coming year I’m going to be a better husband or father. “This coming year I will tell my wife every day that I love her. I will be a true partner in our marriage by keeping a “to do” list to better meet his/her needs. I will take my wife out on a weekly date. I will take my son/daughter out on a weekly outing. I will endeavor to call my mother and father every week.”
Write down your family life goals and review your progress on a weekly basis.
Spiritual and Church Life We need to set goals for our spiritual health and spiritual maturity. Set goals to “…grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ…” 2 Peter 3:18
If you have a lassie fare attitude about spiritual growth you’ll come to the end of 2007 with stunted spiritual growth.
Consider setting a goal to read scripture every day and pray seeking God’s guidance for your life. The Daily Break is a helpful resource to use as a daily devotional guide. Developing a daily habit of spending time seeking the Lord will result in special blessings form the Lord. Proverbs 10:17, Whoever practices disciplines is on the way to life.” I Timothy 4:7, Discipline your self for the purpose of godliness.”
As you apply spiritual disciples to your life this coming year you will come to the end of 2007 with greater spiritual health and vitality than you are experiencing right now.
Your Work Life is the fourth area of your life to set goals for the New Year. Your work life includes what you do for pay and what you do as volunteer work. The Apostle Paul has this to encourage you concerning your work, “…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” I Corinthians 10:31
Studies have been done on people in the work force and project that only 20% of people working give their best to their work and find their work satisfying. This coming year set the goal to find satisfaction in your work. When you are satisfied in your job you will be more productive and look forward to your job. If you can’t find satisfaction in your work then you should consider looking for other job opportunities.
The same goes for your volunteer and ministry opportunities. You need not serve the Lord in areas of ministry that continually cause you frustration. Go with your strengths and your passion. “Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” I Cor. 10:31
Your Community Life is the fifth domain of your life to set goals for the coming year. Your Community life includes the neighborhood where you live and your larger community involvement.
Jesus had the larger community in mind when he said: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Mark 12:31
A goal for 2007 might be to look for ways to serve your neighbors. Look for ways to serve the school your children attend. Look for ways to do acts of kindness without any strings attached.
As you seek and allow God’s Life Map and Plan for your life you can look forward to 2007 as an exciting year of adventure and fulfillment. As God to help you as you set goals for the five domains of your life:
Your Personal Life
Your Family Life
Your Spiritual Life
Your Work Life
Your Community Life
Jeremiah 29:11 , “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you,, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
Let’s pray this prayer together as we enter the New Year:
“Dear Jesus I thank you for loving me and telling me that I matter to You. Guide me this coming year to live the life you meant for me to live. Show me how to please and honor you in my personal life, my family life, my spiritual life, my work life and my community life. I surrender my life anew to You and pray and pray that You will help me live a life of significance in the coming year.
I pray this in Jesus name.
