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Thursday, March 24, 2016

 

In December of 1914 at the age of 67, Thomas Edison’s 2 million dollar factory was destroyed by fire. That evening, almost all of Edison’s life work was burned to the ground. At the height of the fire, Edison’s 24-year-old son Charles, searched frantically for his father. When he finally found him, he was calmly sitting watching the fire. When Edison saw his son he yelled, “Charles, where is your mother? Find her! She will never see anything like this as long as she lives.” The next day, Edison looked at what remained after the fire. He said, “There is great value in disaster. All of our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start over again.” With no money and a burned down factory, three weeks after the disaster, Edison was able to deliver the first phonograph.

 

Nehemiah 4:16-18 NIV

From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half were equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah  who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other,  and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked. But the man who sounded the trumpet stayed with me.

 

In an effort to stop the reconstruction of the city walls, the people of Jerusalem were publicly mocked. However, Nehemiah prayed to God and ignored the taunts. When those who were in opposition to the work saw how Nehemiah and the people continued the work of rebuilding the walls, they were greatly angered. The opposers progressed from mocking to threatening the people with an all out war. Once again, Nehemiah prayed and asked the people to remember God’s faithfulness. Then, he did something most people would never consider, he adjusted his plans.

 

Adjusting Your Plans

 

One of the most common mistakes made by people who want to fulfill God’s purpose is to confuse the goal with the plan. Plans change, vision seldom changes. It is easy to give up on your goals when your plans fail. Praying, remembering God’s faithfulness, and when needed, adjusting your plans is what will give you the incentive to see your goals to completion.

 

As a Pastor, I am keenly aware of this principle; I can easily confuse God’s purpose for my life with my plans. What I have learned over time however, is that my goal never changes. There are times when my goal requires additional clarification but it never changes. This is why, I will always look to lead people to Jesus; this is my goal. However, what does constantly change is the manner by which I achieve my goal. Most goals die when we confuse God’s purpose for our lives with our plans. We must be ready to sacrifice our plans for the sake of the goal; but never sacrifice your goal for the sake of the plans.