The best laid plans...

At the moment as part of my preparation in Advent I have started on the E100 reading plan for the Bible which looks at 100 essential Bible passages.  The idea is to make a commitment to read these passages over a period of time to help place Scripture, and reading it daily, into your lifestyle.  At the moment I am reading through the account of Joseph.  Click Here for the E100 information page.

In my life there is a lot of planning.  Time can be very limited and so in order to use it as effectively as possible I must plan carefully.  However, I have found that there needs to be space in my life to allow God to direct me.  How I plan things, and how they turn out, are not always the same!  I must trust God to work in my life, even when it seems upset by sin or just appears chaotic.  God is there bringing a Divine order, redeeming the chaos, being creative in the midst of the mess and chaos.

Advent is a time of Hope, a season of preparation which again and again reminds us that God has a plan: Jesus!  God is at work and we are to trust him that he will fulfill his purposes even when it seems that human sinfulness will get in the way.  Look at Joseph!  There were so many times in his life that it seems God's plans for him will be frustrated but whether it was an arrogant attitude to his father and  brothers; jealous brothers looking to put Joseph out of their misery; a sex-obsessed mistress or even a fellow-prisioner who didn't have a very good memory, God was there.

In this Advent I hope that you will have some space to journey, intentionally with God.  And don't worry about the mess, He is there as well!