Plan B December 5, 2015

Read Romans 15:20-28

Romans 15:23-25       But now that there is no more place for me to work in these regions, and since I have been longing for many years to visit you,  I plan to do so when I go to Spain. I hope to see you while passing through and to have you assist me on my journey there, after I have enjoyed your company for a while.  Now, however, I am on my way to Jerusalem in the service of the Lord’s people there.

Acts 24:17     "After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings.

Romans 12:13     Share with the Lord's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Romans 15:31     Pray that I may be kept safe from the unbelievers in Judea and that the contribution I take to Jerusalem may be favorably received by the Lord's people there,

1 Corinthians 16:1     Now about the collection for the Lord's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do.

Often my Plan A falls through, and I have to go with Plan B. Before graduation, my “humble” Plan A was first to pastor a 2,000-member church and then work my way up from there. I landed in Plan B: a country church with 38 members. It was the best thing that could have happened, giving my wife and me the chance to focus on establishing our marriage. When I retired, my Plan A was to hike the forest trails of southern Oregon. Then I started experiencing foot problems. Plan B became the rewarding ministries of interim pastoral work and representing abused children in court.

The apostle Paul’s Plan A: to plant churches in Spain. He landed in prison. His Plan B: to write letters to the Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon while in prison — letters that have blessed millions of people for centuries. The Moabite Ruth’s Plan A was to live a quiet life in Moab with her foreigner husband. When her husband died, a new plan kicked in and she moved to Israel, becoming an ancestor of Jesus — her faith and commitment an inspiration to countless people.

We all make plans and suffer disappointment when those plans don’t come to fruition. I’ve learned that however grand our goals, God might have deeper spiritual opportunities in store for us that can turn our disappointment into joy.