Prepare your outside work,
Make it fit for yourself in the field;
And afterward build your house.
Proverbs 24:27
LORD Jesus we praise You for everything that You are teaching us through the Word. Help us, O God we pray, to diligently study and share Your Word with others every day. Guide us daily in our thoughts and in our decisions so that we may bring honor and glory to You. Thank You for the Counsel that You are providing for us in Your Word. In Jesus’ mighty name we pray. Amen.
What do you dream about building? Do you have a vision where you want to be in the near future? How about setting a new goal for your life? What would you like to do or become (like) in the future?
And now that you gave thought to your goal, let me ask you: Do you know how to get there? Do you have any idea of the steps involved? Did you create a plan to follow along? I’m asking, because to achieve a goal you will need one—or else what?
Listen to this famous quote:
A goal without a plan is just a wish.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Today’s verse talks about steps we should take before building a house. There are different views on what exactly “outside work” and “making it fit for yourself in the field” mean. Matthew Henry’s commentary lists a few things we should take into consideration:
- necessaries before conveniences
- do not build until you can afford it
- make the necessary preparations so you do not run out of money or materials before the house is complete.
We can apply this wise counsel for building a home to other things as well, things like
- buying a car: how will we pay for it?
- making clothing: what pattern, fabric, thread are we going to use?
- going on a holiday: how will we get there, what will we bring along?
Throughout our life, we all set small and big goals. The question is: Is there a plan out there that helps us to successfully reach them?
Have you thought of God’s Plan for your life today?