Participants: Mike Lemon (Host)
Series Code: HDL
Program Code: HDL000005
|
00:38 Hello and welcome to "Help in Daily Living."
00:41 Today, we're gonna be looking at 00:42 making "Plans for The Future." 00:44 Often when people make Plans for The Future, 00:47 they are worried and unsettled. 00:51 And what I've come to realize is 00:53 that the life of a Christian 00:54 in this world is a pilgrim life. 00:56 And we need to completely trust 00:59 every single day of our lives to God's leading. 01:02 And not be anxious about our future. 01:05 Before we begin this very important topic, 01:07 I'm gonna ask Jessica to lead us in a Word of prayer. 01:11 Father God, today as we discuss 01:14 about what you wanna us do 01:15 in the future of our lives 01:17 and just how we need to live on a day, 01:19 day-to-day basis, I just pray 01:21 that you would come into our hearts 01:22 and help us to open our hearts to You 01:24 so that we may know how to plan for the future. 01:26 Thank you, Father, for hearing our prayers. 01:28 I love You. In your name, amen. 01:32 When I was growing up, 01:33 I wanted to be a medical worker 01:35 saving lives and curing diseases. 01:37 My younger sister, Morgan, had the dream of 01:39 becoming a pilot and mechanic of her own plane. 01:41 We envisioned that one day 01:43 we'd work together for God as a team, 01:45 push piloting in the jungles of remote machine field. 01:48 She'd fly me and I'd help healing the sick. 01:50 Nothing was wrong with our idea 01:52 and others would see us successful 01:53 in our dreams and goals. 01:55 But what if that is not what God wanted for us. 01:58 God sometimes calls us 01:59 to do things outside of our personal plans. 02:02 It may be simple job without any reward or recognition. 02:06 But all He asks is for a willing spirit. 02:09 It may not be on a mountain's height 02:10 or over a stormy sea. 02:12 But God says, in Jeremiah 29:11, 02:14 I know the thoughts I think toward you, 02:17 thoughts of peace, and not of evil, 02:18 to give you a future and a hope 02:21 I want my prayer to be I'll go where you want me to go, 02:25 here I am Lord send me. 02:53 It may not be on the mountain's height, 03:01 or over the stormy sea 03:08 It may not be at the battle's front 03:18 my Lord will have need of me 03:26 But if by a still, 03:30 small voice He calls to paths I do not know 03:42 I'll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in Thine 03:52 I'll go where You want me to go 04:01 I'll go where You want me to go, dear Lord 04:10 O'er mountain, or plain, or sea 04:18 I'll say what You want me to say, dear Lord 04:29 I'll be what You want me to be 05:02 Perhaps today there are loving words 05:10 which Jesus would have me speak 05:17 There may be now, in the paths of sin, 05:27 some wand'rer whom I should seek 05:36 O Savior, if Thy will be my Guide, 05:44 though dark and rugged the way 05:52 My voice shall echo the message sweet 06:02 I'll say what You want me to say 06:11 I'll go where You want me to go, dear Lord 06:18 O'er mountain, or plain, or sea 06:27 I'll say what You want me to say, dear Lord 06:37 I'll be what You want me to be 07:57 So, trusting my all unto Thy care, 08:06 I know Thou always love me 08:15 I'll do Thy will with a heart sincere 08:26 I'll be what You want me to be. 08:35 I'll go where You want me to go, dear Lord 08:43 O'er mountain, or plain, or sea 08:52 I'll say what You want me to say, dear Lord 09:02 I'll be what You want me to be 09:50 I think what makes people most anxious 09:52 about the future is that we don't want to make 09:53 an utter failure of our lives. 09:56 And--but we won't make a failure of our lives, 09:58 if we live our lives the way Jesus did. 10:01 And Jesus made no plans for his future. 10:04 He was at complete peace with leaving the plans 10:08 for His life in the hands of His Father, really. 10:13 Um, Laelle, how does that make you feel 10:16 about planning your future. 10:18 Well, um, as being a senior and all, 10:21 like, I have been, you know, making plans for my future. 10:24 And, like, making plans, 10:26 you know, go to--decide which college to go to 10:28 and what courses to take and you know. 10:32 You know, just planning my life 10:33 and I was just sort of in this 10:36 once conceived like preconceived box, like, 10:39 and there was this one certain college 10:40 I wanted to go to and just this one course 10:43 I wanted to take and that was gonna be it, 10:45 and that's how my life is gonna be. 10:48 But I think God saw that I needed to open up 10:52 and see what was out there and so this part-- 10:56 on the first semester, when I got sick, I went home. 10:59 And I heard about this one college 11:01 and actually had the opportunity to go there. 11:05 And it was just a real, like, 11:07 eye opener for me to see that there, like, 11:13 like it was actual material. 11:15 And like, you know, this is what I could do with my life. 11:19 And, I mean, I am probably not gonna go to that college. 11:24 But it was like a stepping stone for me, 11:26 you know, to get outside of my box. 11:30 And as of right now, I've absolutely no idea, 11:34 where I'm gonna go or what course I'm gonna take. 11:38 I've just like totally left it in God's hands. Yeah. 11:40 And you're at peace with that? 11:41 Mm-hmm. That's great. 11:44 That's wonderful, just trusting God completely. 11:47 What about you, Wesley, planning for your future? 11:50 Hmm. How does that work for you? 11:51 Well, for the longest time, 11:53 all I could remember wanting in my life 11:54 was to live my life the way I wanted to. 11:57 I wanted to serve God the way I wanted to. 11:59 And I can remember, 12:01 ever since I was about 14 years old, 12:03 I would spend hours trying to 12:04 meticulously plan out all 12:05 the little details in my life. Wow. 12:08 And after coming to Fountain View, 12:11 you know, sophomore, and junior, 12:14 and coming up senior year. 12:16 And I was just thinking about, 12:17 you know, what am I gonna do with my life? 12:18 And as I started to think about my plans, 12:21 I just felt this, this sense of unrest, of uneasiness. 12:25 Like, I didn't know what is gonna happen tomorrow. Yeah. 12:28 And I talked to a friend about how I felt and I told him, 12:32 you know, how I felt uneasy about the future. 12:34 And he said, it seemed like 12:35 I hadn't submitted my life to God totally. Mmm. 12:38 And deep down inside, I knew he was right. Yeah. 12:40 Proverbs 5 verses, sorry Proverbs 3 verses 5 and 6, 12:45 says that, "Trust in Lord with all your heart 12:49 and lean not on your own understanding. 12:51 Acknowledge Him in all your ways 12:52 and He will direct your paths." 12:54 And I knew deep down in my heart 12:56 that I hadn't done that, 12:58 that I only wanted what I wanted, not what He wanted. 13:02 And I'm still learning how to trust him 13:04 but even though I don't know 13:08 what is plans are exactly for my life. 13:10 I feel at peace knowing 13:11 that He's always gonna be with me and that, 13:13 I know that whatever plans He has for my life, 13:16 I can trust in that, He will be the best. 13:17 Praise the Lord. Amen. 13:21 My face fell as I looked at the worklist. 13:24 Cafeteria again? I complained. 13:26 I've been working there for the past two weeks. 13:28 And I was ready for a change. 13:30 You see at Fountainview, the staff believe 13:32 that work is important for all of us 13:34 and so we all work for half the day. 13:36 We are assigned daily to different places of work. 13:38 That particular day, I wanted to work market gardens, 13:41 bagging and sorting carrots. 13:42 Not in the cafeteria. 13:44 So I went to talk with the work supervisor, Mr. Hines. 13:46 I spoke with him quite often 13:48 never being completely satisfied 13:50 with where I was working. 13:51 That day, however, his response was no different than usual. 13:54 I'll see what I can do. 13:55 I accepted it reluctantly 13:57 and headed off toward cafeteria. 13:58 But the whole time rather than being cheerful, 14:01 I dragged my feet and hardly smiled at all. 14:03 It's might as me, I was signed there again the next day 14:06 and the day after that for the rest of the week. 14:09 A couple weeks later, I was reading the book 14:11 "Help in Daily Living" in my devotions. 14:13 It said let us remember that while the work 14:15 we have to do may not be our choice, 14:17 it is to be accepted as God's work for us. 14:20 Whether pleasing or unpleasing, 14:22 we are to do the duty that lies nearest. 14:24 Whatsoever thy hand find it to do, 14:26 do it with all thy might. 14:28 I instantly felt reprimanded for my bad attitude. 14:30 I should've accepted that it was God's will for me 14:32 to work in the cafeteria. 14:34 Even if it wasn't my choice, 14:35 it was what my Master had chosen for me. 14:37 And His plans are always perfect. 14:40 Everyday there are always small insignificant duties 14:43 I must do. 14:44 These not only shape my character 14:46 but give me an opportunity to work for God. 14:48 And prepare me for heaven. 14:49 I can choose to go on my work 14:51 by having consistently energetic, cheerful attitude 14:54 and faithfully performing my duties. 14:56 However, God is the only one 14:58 who can completely transform my outlook 15:00 on the humble duties of life 15:01 so that I can experience real joy in service. 15:13 O Master, let me walk with Thee 15:22 In lowly paths of service free 15:30 Tell me Thy secret; help me bear 15:37 The strain of toil, the fret of care 15:46 Help me the slow of heart to move 15:54 By some clear, winning word of love 16:01 Teach me the wayward feet to stay 16:09 And guide them in the homeward way 16:18 Teach me Thy patience; still with Thee 16:27 In closer, dearer, company 16:35 In work that keeps faith sweet and strong 16:42 In trust that triumphs over wrong 16:53 In hope that sends a shining ray 17:01 Far down the future's broadening way 17:08 In peace that only Thou canst give 17:15 With Thee, O Master, let me live 17:30 You know, when we're planning for our future, 17:33 one of the sources of wisdom 17:36 that we can look to is our parents. 17:38 And they can help us and give us guidance. 17:41 Bristi, how did you feel about that with your parents? 17:44 Well, when I was 16, 17:47 I was very rebellious and defiant. 17:50 And my parents, you know, 17:53 sometimes they would ask me to do 17:54 a simple task like wash dishes or, 17:57 you know, clean the house or something. 17:59 And I would always just roll my eyes at them, 18:01 or retort, or just, you know, be sarcastic or something. 18:06 This just kept getting worse and worse 18:08 like this rebellion inside my heart 18:10 just kept growing until finally my parents realized 18:13 they needed o take me out. 18:14 And so they decided to take me to Bangladesh 18:18 for six months to live with them. 18:22 And at that time, you know, 18:24 I felt like that was the worst thing 18:26 in the world that could happen. 18:27 'Cause I wanted to go back to school 18:30 and be with my friends 18:31 and just finish the year off like any normal student. 18:33 Well, it turned out I went to Bangladesh that year. 18:39 And at the beginning of the trip, 18:41 you know, I was still very resentful 18:43 and very distant like, you know, from my parents. 18:48 But then, they saw that and they told me 18:52 that I needed to start working. 18:54 So they gave me a job 18:56 taking care of little children at an orphanage. 19:00 And as I would be taking care of these children, 19:04 it was really difficult for me to be unhappy 19:07 and be resentful and that because 19:10 these children were always so happy like 19:13 they just radiated so much sunshine into my life 19:16 that I started becoming a happy person. 19:19 And my relationship with my parents was a lot closer. 19:23 It just started to get better and better. 19:25 And my relationship with God even started growing. 19:29 And looking back now, like, 19:32 I would not have missed 19:33 that trip for anything in the world 19:35 because it really changed my outlook on life. 19:40 I believe that, you know, at that time, 19:42 God knew the best thing for me. 19:46 He had the best plan in mind and He knew 19:48 that those children would be able to reach me 19:50 in no other way, like, no one else 19:53 could have reached me at that point. 19:55 And He used them because they were dependent on me. 20:00 And as I was taking care of them, 20:04 I realized, you know, how much my parents are sacrificing, 20:07 how much they really cared about me because-- 20:09 and I realized how dependent on them I was as well. 20:12 And now I, I have a very close relationship with my parents. 20:17 So when planning for your future, 20:19 you are a senior now, would you trust them, 20:22 if they gave you guidance about your future? 20:24 Sure. For sure. 20:25 And going through that rebellious stage 20:27 and just seeing that their wisdom was something 20:30 you can trust has given you guidance 20:33 and kind of given you a trust in them 20:36 that you never had before? 20:37 Yeah, sure. Praise the Lord. 20:42 Take a look at any library or book store, 20:44 and you'll find lots of books 20:45 claiming to have the answer to raising perfect kids. 20:48 But open up a newspaper 20:49 and you'll see a different story. 20:51 Headlines scream news of murder 20:53 or child abuse and poverty. 20:56 Despite the best efforts of modern parenting, 20:58 our society has failed to deliver 21:00 the bright futures of its children as promised. 21:04 God warns us in the Bible 21:06 that unless we depend on him for strength, 21:08 our plans can't succeed. 21:11 This is because what feels like self reliance to us, 21:14 is actually a submission of our world to Satan. 21:17 Eventually, this slavery to sin will end in disaster. 21:23 We must depend on Christ for everything. 21:25 In order to be free from bondage, 21:27 today I choose to find refuge from sin 21:30 in my relationship with Jesus. 21:31 By His strength, I can stop my failing plans 21:34 and let Him lead me to victory. 21:58 Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah 22:03 Pilgrim through this barren land 22:07 I am weak, but Thou art mighty 22:12 Hold me with Thy powerful hand 22:17 Bread of heaven, bread of heaven 22:21 Feed me till I want no more 22:26 Feed me till I want no more 22:37 Open now the crystal fountain 22:42 Whence the healing stream doth flow 22:47 Let the fire and cloudy pillar 22:52 Lead me all my journey through 22:57 Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer 23:02 Be Thou still my Strength and Shield 23:07 Be Thou still my Strength and Shield 23:20 When I tread the verge of Jordan 23:27 Bid my anxious fears subside 23:34 Death of deaths, and hell's destruction 23:41 Land me safe on Canaan's side 23:48 Songs of praises, songs of praises 23:53 I will ever give to Thee 23:58 I will ever give to Thee 24:23 You know, Mr. Lemon, I have a particular story 24:26 that every time I think of it reminds me 24:28 that God has a special plan for my life. 24:30 You see when I was one month old, 24:33 I became very sick. 24:34 I was down for a nap on one afternoon 24:37 and my dad came to get me up. 24:39 And he realized that I was just like 24:40 burning up with fever and he checked my fever. 24:42 I had a 104 degrees fever. 24:45 So I was just like doing really badly. 24:49 Anyways, my mom was away on a dayshift that day 24:52 and so my dad rushed me 24:53 to the hospital as fast as possible. 24:55 And as he got me to the ER, 24:57 I started having convulsions and seizures 24:59 and the nurses saw that and doctors saw 25:01 that and they quickly rushed me, 25:03 you know, back and started me on IV fluids 25:05 to get my body settling down. 25:09 Basically, they figured out that I had a blood infection 25:11 and this blood infection had been caused by a disease 25:14 called vesicoureteral reflux. 25:17 So they, you know, got me 25:18 and started on the blood infection, 25:19 IVs and stuff then working on the reflux stuff 25:23 and basically to make the long story short, 25:26 in my first year of life, 25:27 I was in and out of the hospital four times. 25:30 And each time I was in, 25:31 I was in there for like 10, 12 days like, 25:34 you know, a good amount of time. 25:35 A lot of time. Yeah. 25:37 And I had to be on antibiotics every single day. 25:40 And just for that, particularly that first year of life. 25:43 And eventually the doctors decided 25:45 that in order to fix my problem 25:47 and the disease that I had, 25:48 they had to do surgery. 25:50 So they did surgery for me 25:53 and I recovered with flying colors, 25:55 like it was absolutely a miracle. 25:58 The disease should have really like 25:59 affected my kidneys and given me 26:00 really bad health problems for like the rest of my life. 26:03 But I haven't had a single health problem since 26:06 and the doctors basically told me, 26:07 hey, you're good to go now, right? 26:09 And I am just so grateful that God has spared my life. 26:13 And I was really young obviously 26:15 when I had this experience happen. 26:16 But as I've grown up, 26:18 my parents have told me this story. 26:20 And they told me and reminded me 26:22 that God has a special plan for my life 26:25 and that He saved my life for a particular reason. 26:27 I mean, I should have died, 26:28 you know if my dad had come in 26:29 maybe 20 minutes later to get me up from a nap 26:31 or something like that. 26:32 Like I, I don't know, maybe, I could have even be dead. 26:35 I don't know what could have happened. 26:37 But it would have been possibly too late. 26:40 And just when I think about that, 26:43 I just know that God has such a wonderful plan. 26:46 In "Help in Daily Living," on page 19, 26:49 it says, let God plan for you. 26:52 So as I am planning for the future of my life, 26:54 you know, I need to ask God to really come and help me. 26:57 And a little later, it says 26:58 God never leaves His children otherwise. 27:00 And they would choose to be lead 27:02 if they could see the end from the beginning 27:04 and then discern the glory of the purpose 27:06 which they are fulfilling as coworkers with Him. 27:09 I have such an important job to do in my life 27:12 and we all do and I know 27:13 that if I have God really help me 27:15 that my life will be a success. 27:17 Praise the Lord. 27:18 And you can trust Him 27:19 that He will lead you in the future. 27:21 Wesley, I'm gonna ask you to close 27:23 with a word of prayer for us. 27:24 Okay. Let's bow our heads. 27:27 Dear, Heavenly Father, thank You so much 27:29 for the promise that You are with us 27:30 and that You've always cared for us. 27:33 And that You know the beginning through the end, 27:35 Lord, and that You care for each of us so personally 27:37 that You'll plan each of our lives for us. 27:40 So we don't have to walk in the dark. 27:43 Lord, please help us to realize today 27:45 that no matter what, You're always gonna guide us 27:48 and protect us. Amen. 27:49 We thank You for this and we pray in Your name. Amen. 27:55 "Help in Daily Living" is a 13 part series 27:58 from Fountainview Productions designed to share 28:01 the solid principles of 28:02 practical everyday Christianity. 28:05 It's a simple way to share the good news 28:07 about the power of the gospel with your friends, 28:09 family, and co-workers. 28:11 Order your copies now by calling 28:13 1-877-490-4141 or visit us online at 28:19 www.fountainview productions.com. 28:24 "Help in Daily Living" is also available 28:27 at your local ABC Christian bookstores. |
Revised 2014-12-17