These Last Days (7)

So teach usto 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 LORDour 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 Kingdom economy
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 homes, going on vacation, and for making the best use of our resources – 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? Thinking about the time God has entrusted to us in these last days, and the work He’s calling us to do within that time?

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 we wonder why our lives in Christ are no more exhilarating and power-filled than they are. This is not what Paul means by making the most of the time God has entrusted to us (Eph. 5.15-17).

Planning and review
If we’re going to find our way around and make progress in the Kingdom 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 must improve the way we use the time entrusted to us. It will help us in this regard if we 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, Kingdom-seeking way, then our Christian life will suffer, and along with that, our witness for the Lord as well.

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, so that we can make the best use of the time He entrusts to us in these last days.

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. So we must be diligent, day by day, in pleading with Him to show us the work we’ve been given to do. The work we’ve been given to do in advancing the Kingdom economy is greater than the job at which we work. We want to glorify God in all our work; thus, we need to be clear about what that work is, and how we may best serve the Kingdom purposes of God in it.

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 (Eph. 5.15-17).

We all engage people throughout the course of the day. Do we have a Kingdom mission 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, unto the glory of God in all things.

So if we can make all these opportunities the constant focus of our study, prayer, 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 knowing where we fit and what we have to contribute to the glorious divine economy that is unfolding all around us, and that God intends to flow through us to our world in these last days.

For reflection or discussion
1.  Do you agree that people who are focused on the free-market economy as their defining frame of reference do a lot of planning? Can you give some examples?

2.  Should we who are focused on the divine economy do a better job at planning how we will use our time? Why or why not? In what ways?

3.  How might we plan more effectively to position ourselves within the unfolding,overflowing, and advancing divine economy? And if we refuse to do this?

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 your friend’s support in prayer.

T. M. Moore

This week’s ReVision study is Part 10 of a 10-part series, “The Kingdom Economy.” You can download “These Last Days” as a free PDF, prepared for personal or group study. Simply click here.

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