I don't know about you, but for me, I only give effort and attention towards things that I really care about. For example, I don't really care about the New York Yankees, so naturally, I never take any time to watch them play. The stock market is not at all interesting to me, so while I have a retirement account, I'm not too concerned with its current status. On the other hand, I care deeply about Jennifer (my wife), so she pretty much takes priority over everything. My plans must first clear through the plans we have together.
As we continue this discussion on planning, I believe our planning directly shows us the importance of someone or something in our life. Let me break it down like this...
Several thousand years ago (I believe about 6,000-8,000), God put a plan into motion that not only would give us the opportunity to experience life to the fullest and the freedom to make choices, but it also would provide a way for us to spend eternity in Heaven. If there is one reason above all others that Christians and churches should take time to plan it is the fact that God Himself takes planning seriously! God cared and loved us so much that He literally began making plans for us 1,000s of years in advance.
What about those people in your life who matter a lot to you? When was the last time you went out of your way to plan something unique for someone special in your life? I've discovered that Jennifer likes flowers. Actually, she LOVES getting flowers. However, while she's never disappointed with them, she is most excited about getting flowers when they are unexpected. Well, to her it is unexpected, but from my perspective, I had to give it a little thought and planning.
So, as we seek to overflow God's love to the people around us, will you take time to plan out an opportunity to actually overflow God's love? Maybe this needs to be for that special someone in your life? Perhaps your church needs to plan something creative and original? Maybe it's a small gesture for someone at work? Regardless of what it is, if we truly care about the people in our lives, we'll take an opportunity every now and then to plan an opportunity to overflow God's love!
I'll end with this... What about adding some planning and prayer to your daily routine? Jennifer and I planned in advance (because you have to with a 1-year old) to go out to eat about 2 weeks ago. Since we knew when and where we were going in advance, I began praying about 5 or 6 days before our date that God would provide us an opportunity to overflow His love with our waiter or waitress. Sure enough, we ended up with a waiter who was very friendly and interactive. It was almost like God specifically placed him with us? By the end of our meal we had discovered some things about His spiritual journey, thanked him for great service with a large tip, and shared with Him about The Overflow. A little planning and a little prayer can go a long way towards overflowing God's love to those around us!
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