Do you start your workweek with a plan? How about the workday? Planning for some people is very easy while others struggle to get out the front door on time each day. We can plan for something as short-term as the morning or for the long-term when dealing with a strategic plan or long-range workplans. Whichever you are doing, a plan always starts with the end in mind. What is it you want to do or accomplish? Some call that the vision but the end is simply knowing what you are planning for. The best analogy is taking a car trip. We start by knowing where we want to go and then we look for routes to get us there. Along the way we look for cities or towns where we can stop for fuel or grab something to eat and for longer trips, we look for somewhere to stop for the night and make reservations. Whether you are doing long or short range planning, the process is virtually the same. Write down the goal or end and workout a route to get there. Whether you are doing some personal growth planning or directing the work of a team, route the course to get to the end. Write down your goal and the steps (course) to get there. Share it with members of your work-team or for those personal goals; share them with close friends to make it more meaningful and to get support from those who might help along the way. Consider them your “reservations” for points along the way. You will need support to achieve your goals and a good plan will make the path that you take a little more direct.

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.” – Proverbs 16:3

I have written before about God’s plan for us. If we let God direct our lives, we cannot fail and we will glorify Him. It sounds like we’d be using God as our Google Maps and letting Him pick the path for us. While it sounds easier that way, its not what God wants for us. He wants us to enjoy our lives, love our neighbors and most of all, He wants us to be faithful to Him – Commit to the Lord. If we work with the goal of being faithful to God in Heaven, doing what He commands, sharing the good news of a savior in Jesus Christ, how can we go off course? God loves us and has rewarded our faithfulness by sending His Son to die for our sins so that we may live with Him in Glory for all of eternity. The irony in that is there is no end. Our lives here on earth will end, so we must make plans to Glorify God in whatever we do. At work, be honest, work hard, be obedient and support those around you. In your life you can bring Glory to God through regular worship, bible study, Christian fellowship and supporting your fellow man. When your walk in life is in step with God’s, your plans will succeed because your goals are the same – sharing eternity with each other.