Start with Today

     I've been a little dry at the blog well recently, but it's given me an opportunity to go back and look at some posts I published in the last couple of years.  My wife and I will be out of town for the weekend, interviewing and observing at a church in another city (another state, actually).  Our minds have been consumed with Christmas and with this weekend for some time now.  I guess that's my attempt at an explanation.  Since we are thinking about the future again and the possibility of a new life in a new place and a new church, I thought I'd reproduce this post that helps me think about the most important part of anticipation for the future...the next day's effort at honoring God.
     I remember a commercial for a high end car a few years ago that had a unique headlight system. The fixtures that held the lamps sensed when the wheels were turning and would pan a little bit in that direction. The great attraction, so it seemed, was that you could see a little further around the curve than normal headlights would allow. This would, in theory, make it safer to navigate the car, since you could see what is ahead a little sooner, and have a little more time to react to what was around that bend in the road.
      Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could have something like that in our spiritual lives? Wouldn't you love being able to "see around the curves" a little bit; anticipating what God would do in you and through you in the years to come?
      When it comes to churches (and even in corporate life), we call it vision-casting. We seek to prayerfully discern what God wants us to do and what direction we should pursue. We step out on faith and believe him to accomplish what we could not in our own strength. We try to anticipate where the bend in the road will be and what is around the turn.
      In our personal lives there is also benefit to some vision-casting. We have life-coaches and all manner of other resources that can assist us in plotting a course to be successful in our lives. When we put that in terms more palatable to the Christian; we want to have the greatest impact for the kingdom possible. Management by muddling through has never resulted in very much progress or fruit for the kingdom. We can all stumble across some good things to do once in a while. As the old saying goes; even a broken clock is right twice a day. So let's dream big for the sake of Christ and pray for bold and crazy opportunities to make a difference for him in this world.
      But with all of that in mind; I want to encourage you today that the real honoring of God in your life takes place daily. There is some great value in living a day at a time and simply walking with God. If you are close to him; he'll guide your steps. If you never let him get out of sight; you'll always know you're on the right path. The Psalmist reminded us that God's Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105, ESV). Proverbs 3:5, 6 says we should trust in the Lord with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding. In all our ways, we should acknowledge him, and he will "make straight our paths." Hmmm; maybe we don't need a unique system designed to help us see a little further than the "average" Christian. Maybe we need to start by making sure we are walking with God to the best of our ability and then move forward with all our effort for his glory...
      That's something we can do today...right now; correct?
      What are some of the things helpful to you as you look toward your future? How do you integrate planning and the importance of walking with God on a daily basis, trusting him for the future?