April 30, 2023

The Shepherd's Corner

One of the misconceptions that we develop after being a Christian is that we should not make plans.  The reason is because we simply cannot.  It is God who makes plans for us, and we are to just follow them.  Well, it is true that God has plans for us and He expects us to follow them, but His plans coincide with our plans more often than we think.  There are of course times in which He halts our plans and replaces them with His but for the most part He doesn’t because He does not need to.  If we walk with Him, our plans and His plans will go hand in hand, complement one another, or be the same.

So, it is perfectly fine to make plans.  The other reason it is fine to make plans is because we CAN make plans.  Yes, we do not know the future, but based on God’s faithfulness we know that we can count on Him to provide for us and to make our plans a reality.  It is then perfectly fine to start thinking about what want to do. We may not have what it takes to make our dreams come true but knowing God’s faithfulness to provide for our needs, we can make plans.

In his book, The Voyage of the ‘Dawn Treader’, C. S. Lewis tells the conversation between Lucy and Eustace about Aslan’s table.  (Aslan is a lion that represents Jesus in this story.) “Why is it called Aslan’s table?” asked Lucy presently.  “It is set here by his bidding . . . “  “But how does the food keep?” asked the practical Eustace.  “It is eaten, and renewed, every day,” said the girl. At the Lord’s table, we will eat and be satisfied, and the food is gone.  But tomorrow the food will be there again.  And that is how God provides for us.

I have never gone hungry without food, but I have heard from those who have.  Some of them even had to just fill their stomachs with water because there’s no food to eat.  But in the end, they survived. At His table, God provides, somehow, from somewhere, someone.   

Pastor Paul

More Shepherd's Corner Articles

Sudut Gembala - 31 Juli 201
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER In one of his sermons, Pastor Chuck Swindoll warns us, “One of the greatest battles Christians face today is doing God’s will God’s way.” I cannot agree more. We usually have ideas as to how we will or should serve God and do His work. These ideas might not be bad but...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - August 16, 2020
THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER In one of his best movies, The Patriot, Mel Gibson plays a father, a widower to be exact, who struggles to relinquish his eldest son to join the army during the war against the British rule in this land.  In defiance to his wish, his son joined the resistance group. ...
Read More
The Shepherd's Corner - October 30, 2022
The other day I received an email from somebody who apologized to me for saying hurtful things to me.  I was of course touched by the kind gesture and amazed by the Holy Spirit’s work in the lives of the believers.  It must have been the Spirit’s work because that incident supposedly t...
Read More