A question came in the other day from a reader who asked the following: “Should we embark on a project without first counting the total costs and later believing that God will provide?”
Two very powerful verses came to mind almost immediately, which I think will help in answering this question fully.
The first is found in Luke 14:28-30 (NLT)
“But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money, and then everyone would laugh at you. They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’”
The second is found in Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. “
Where’s the line between having faith and planning ahead?
Jesus made some very clear points in these three short verses recorded in Luke. He was explaining that being a follower of Christ takes commitment and there are costs that must be considered. He uses an example of constructing a building because the people could relate with the significance that role planning has in the building process.
But the question that begs to be asked is that where does faith come in if we simply make every decision a calculated decision? If we have to plan every step, are we not exercising the faith we read about in Hebrews 11:1?
The important thing to understand is that verse one of Hebrews leads into the Hall of Faith, highlighting the spiritual giants who lived a life of faith.
• Their hope was placed on greater things – not of the things in this world.
• Their certainty was founded in the faithfulness of God, not the provisions of this world.
Yes, we depend on God to provide for all our needs, but that doesn’t mean that we are exempt from planning ahead. In fact, it is foolish not to plan.
Proverbs 21:5 says:
“The plans of the diligent lead to profit, as surely as haste leads to poverty”
Learning to mix faith and planning ahead
I think one of the greatest ways to exercise our faith is to prepare the best that we can before embarking on a new goal or idea. Moving forward with blind faith is a dangerous habit and can even be an excuse for laziness in planning. Understanding the costs to a project will allow you to make the very best of what you’ve been given. This will build your faith even stronger as you approach God knowing that you’ve been a diligent steward of the resources He’s provided.
What are your thoughts? How should we balance having faith and planning ahead?
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Tim,
The scriptures abound with counsel about how foolish people are when they don’t take time to make plans. The passage in Luke is a great one. I think it works like this:
1. Have faith that God will guide us in our spending.
2. Make plans for those expenditures.
3. Have faith that God will honor that spending you have planned for.
It amazes me that churches all too often, in spite of the warnings in Luke 14:28-30, dive into building programs based on 90% faith and 10% planning.
You nailed it Joe! We have to take responsibility and do our research and planning as best as we can. That’s not to say that we should rely on our own skill and strengths to build an entire church or ministry. Faith is an aspect of worship that we integrate into every part of our lives…not just when planning isn’t enough.
Tim,
A very interesting post on a very interesting topic. I was browsing the website of Desiring God the other day, and I came across a post about John Calvin’s views on pursuing success (http://www.desiringgod.org/blog/posts/john-calvin-on-the-pursuit-of-success). If you get a chance to read the short post, I’d be interested on your thoughts. I tend to associate planning with success (and the pursuit thereof), so I thought this post might be related to yours.
Thanks,
-Russell
Those are some strong words of wisdom for sure. The challenge of having faith, planning, and pursuing success is something that Christians should embrace.
Col. 3:23 says – Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord, not for man, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
It’s ok to pursue success – the way we do it is what really matters.
Thanks for sharing that with us Russ!
Tim
Hey Tim,
Thanks for the touching on the subject. It brought the following thougthts to mind:
I firmly believe wisdom (and lack thereof) is the fulcrum in our effective decision making. When embarking on a new project, we should do everything, to the fullest degree, that is within our power to accomlish our God-given tasks. This includes planning, counsel, learning, saving, investing, fund raising, etc. By doing so I believe we eliminate the degree to which faith and leaving it “in God’s hands” bleeds into laziness and folly. As my sunday school teacher use to say:
“Do your absolute best..and God will do the rest.”
Best regards,
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