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 2 Corinthians 1:17-22 - Strategic Planning

Rely on God.  Put that as the heading of your strategic plan.  Not your wisdom, money, or financial projections.

        This is one of the exciting things about being a Christian, one of the many paradoxes.  Just like in James 1 - with rejoicing in troubles and persevering while you build endurance and godly character.  God’s way is different, better.

God’s people take great care in making plans.  We should not be reactionary.  We must not be careless and haphazard in our planning.  Yet we see that in personal finance, municipal, state, and federal government, and our church organizations.  Let’s up our game.  Let’s plan well and rely on God’s grace as we seek to serve others and spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere.

We see here that Jesus is God’s ultimate “Yes,” he always does what he says.  All of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!”

You see, God’s a planner.  And God is a promise keeper.  I think back to my days as a securities lawyer and all the business plans and prospectus reviews I’ve done.  Oh, the many plans of men.  The forecasts and great intentions and hopes for market share dominance - for reserves of oil and high yields of copper, zinc, and lead.  Yet with God, he says in Scripture that He will provide a Rescuer, and He did.  He planned a way for us to be acquitted of our guilt - forgiven, comforted, loved.  We are certainly guilty of our many sins and yet God planned a way to forgive them.  That way was fulfilled in Jesus.  By His blood, our sins are forgiven and we are declared righteous because of what Jesus did.  That required planning.  God planned for the prophets, the nation of Israel, the Romans, Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, John the Baptist, Pilate, Nicodemus, Peter, John, Thomas, Matthew, Mary and Martha, Lazarus, and each person born of a woman.  And the best is yet to come - God continues to work out His plan and promises.

Jesus Christ is the author and perfector of our Salvation.  He continues to plan.  He works all things out for our good.

It is Father God who enables us to stand firm for Christ.  We are his beloved.  We are His people.  We should remember Pauls’s words here.  “He has commissioned us, and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.”  Lord Jesus, I love you.  Thank you for your wonderful planning and promises.  Lord and Master help us to serve you well as commissioned.  May we do so today.  Amen.


Scribble from my days as the GC of a Public Agency




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