Life withot a plan

Proverbs 24:27

“Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.”

It seems like good advice but what good is good counsel if as a nation there are people you have branded their advice or counsel as nonsense?  Yes, in many countries and even people who live in free nations where the Scriptures are easy to obtain, many have an opinion about the source Christian’s refer to as the Holy Bible as not worthy of their valuable time.

But if one did read Proverbs 24:27 and wanted more information they would turn to King Solomon’s insights in 1Kings 5&6, and see how he organized things to build the Temple that is referred to as Solomon’s Temple.  Many years later Dr. Luke shared these words of counsel from our Lord, Jesus the Christ in Luke 14:28-29.   “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it?  For if you lay, the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.”

Many years ago as a young married man I was going to build a gazebo, it was going to be an octagonal structure in our backyard.  I bought some lumber and poles and began, how hard can it be, I had no plans and did not seek any advice I began, and for more years than I want to admit that mess was in our back yard, and it was a disaster.  Where did I go wrong?  I did not have a plan, did not ask for counsel, and did not have the skill set or money to do the job right, so I ended up with a mess.  I was not yet a follower of Christ, nor was I teachable, at this time of my life I was flying solo.

But what happens to a Nation that has publicly declared it has no God, it needs no God, such as China?  China has become a world power; she has people, lots of people, they offer cheap labor and have become one of the biggest manufacturers of other nations products.  China also has a five-year national urban development plan, where she has built over 100 what is now being called ghost cities.  The farms only know how to farm, we purpose to abandon that way of life and move to the town with no skills and no jobs, but at very high cost, but they did not come.  So the slogan, if you build it they will come has not worked for China.

Maybe China and you and I would be wise if we took the counsel of Solomon and much more important than Solomon, our Creator, Jesus Christ’s words in the gospel of Luke.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice