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Realizing the presence, promise, and power of the Kingdom of God.
ReVision

Planning to Succeed

Take your plans to the Lord, and get His wisdom.

God’s Economy (7)

So teach us to number our days,
That we may gain a heart of wisdom…
Let Your work appear to Your servants,
And Your glory to their children.
And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us,
And establish the work of our hands for us;
Yes, establish the work of our hands.! Psalm 90.12, 16, 17

Planning in the economy
The most important thing to understand about these secular times is that God is at work in the field of the world, using all the work of His people to establish, unpack, and expand His Kingdom, and the unique economy of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Spirit that Kingdom brings with it. We will know better what we should be doing each day, if we can keep this fact in mind at all times.

And if we plan carefully and prayerfully for our part in it.

Americans spend a good deal of time – probably more than we realize – planning to succeed in our free enterprise economy.

When you think of all the hours we spend in education and training, just to find the right niche for a lifetime of getting and spending; or how diligent we can be in planning our retirement and other aspects of a secure financial future; not to mention the plans we make at work, for improving our home, and for making the best use of our resources, getting ready for a vacation – in view of all this, planning to succeed in the American economy is a constant, ongoing part of what every American must do.

But I wonder if we spend as much time planning for success in the divine economy? My experience tells me that we do not. Instead, what far too many Christians do is squeeze everything that relates to the divine economy within their plans for success in the American economy.

And then they wonder why their lives in Christ are no more exhilarating and power-filled than they are.

Planning and review
If we’re going to make our way in the divine economy, so that we maximize our contribution to the work of making disciples, building the Church, and advancing the Kingdom, and, along the way, find full and abundant, powerful and glory-filled life in Christ, we’re going to have to adopt a perpetual process of planning and review related to everything in our lives. If we’re not willing to do this, or if we make our plans in anything less than a God-honoring way, then our Christian life will suffer, and along with that, our witness for the Lord as well. And, rather than cultivate to fruitfulness our sector of the Lord’s field, we will open it to incursions of every sort of secular tare.

So how do we do this? How do we make our way in the divine economy and plan for success in that glorious and everywhere-present realm?

Moving forward
First, we must humbly admit that we do not know the future, but that the Lord does (Jms. 4.14; Prov. 27.1). Therefore, we need to be careful that we’re not merely relying on what we want or we think is best for our plans and future. Let us come humbly before the Lord, seeking His wisdom, and ask Him to help us “number” our days, as our text indicates. Let us do our planning, and submit all our plans for all aspects of our work, to the Lord, for His approval and wisdom.

At the same time, we must accept that, puny though they may seem to us, our lives matter to God and are significant for His eternal plan (cf. Ps. 8). So we must be diligent, day by day, in pleading with Him to show us all the work we’ve been given to do, and to help us prepare to glorify Him in that work.

The more we study the different aspects of the divine economy, the more we will be able to plan our activities around those divinely-appointed priorities. We will want to make the most of every opportunity we have each day for advancing God’s realm and rule on earth as it is in heaven (Matt. 6.10; Eph. 5.15-17). We all engage people throughout the course of the day. Do we have a disciple-making plan for reaching out to each one of them? We all have gifts from God’s Spirit which we are to use in building-up our fellow church members (1 Cor. 12.7-11). Have we begun to discover and exercise those gifts? And we all work and live in a variety of cultural and social arenas – home, neighborhood, work, and so forth – where we can give ourselves to the pursuit of the priority of God’s Kingdom – righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

So if we can make these the constant focus of our study and growth, we’ll make better plans and do better work within the divine economy.

Making our way in the divine economy is not rocket science; it is, however, hard work, and it requires a continuous focus on the Lord’s priorities and will, together with constant reliance on His presence and Spirit, if we’re going to be wise in understanding where we fit and knowing what we must do in the glorious divine economy that is unfolding all around us.

For reflection
1.  Summarize your approach to planning your life – your days, weeks, years, and so forth. How does your contribution to the divine economy fit into that planning?

2.  Meditate on Psalm 8. Do you believe your work in the divine economy has something to contribute to its unfolding? Explain.

3.  What steps might you take to better fulfill the exhortations of Psalm 90.12, Ephesians 5.15-17, and James 4.13-17?

Next steps – Preparation: What can you do to begin making better progress in the divine economy? Share your thoughts and plans with a Christian friend, and seek his or her support in prayer.

T. M. Moore

For a free PDF of this week’s study, click here.

For a more developed view of the Kingdom, and of the Gospel of the Kingdom, order a copy of our book The Kingdom Turn (click here) or The Gospel of the Kingdom (click here). You can download a free PDF of Vocational Disciplines, a complement to this week’s study (click here).



We look to the Lord to provide for our needs, and He does so through those who are served by this ministry. Please prayerfully consider becoming a supporter of The Fellowship of Ailbe with your financial gifts. You can send your tax-free contribution to The Fellowship of Ailbe, 19 Tyler Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452, or use the Contribute button at the website to give with a credit card or through PayPal.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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