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Archives for September 2011

On Planning to Do Good for Others

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One of the key points I am making in my book is that we should not simply do good when a need crosses our path, but that we should proactively make plans for doing good for others.

I bring together the various strands in the Scriptures that teach this, one of which is that evildoers are presented in Scripture as making plans for evil (Satan himself being the chief example — Ephesians 6:11 [note the word “schemes”]). If the wicked create plans for harm, how much more should those who follow the Lord create plans for good.

Here’s something interesting on that. Proverbs 24:9 says: “The devising of folly is sin.” In other words, not only is carrying out plans for harm sin, but the actual planning is itself sin.

Conversely, it stands to reason, then, that making plans for good is itself righteous and good. Carrying out plans that serve others is good, but so also is making those plans in the first place.

That should be an encouragement not only to take initiative and be proactive in devising good things we can do for people; it should also be an encouragement for those who have sought to do good things for others but been hindered in the execution.

Take heart that recognizing the opportunity to serve, along with the planning and intentions and forethought, were themselves good and pleasing to God — even if you weren’t able to execute and make them happen.

Is the Bible Against Planning?

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No. It’s only against planning done with a mindset that we are the final authority, rather than God:

The Bible Affirms Planning that is Done in Dependence on God: “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3)

The Bible is Against Planning that Does Not Take God into Account: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit’ — yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. . . . Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.’ As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.” (James 4:13-16)

Here’s how we can put it: The Bible is highly in favor of planning, and in fact commends and, it can be argued, commands planning.

But planning can be done in two ways: God-dependent and godless. And, godless planning is not what you might expect. It can seem innocent. But godless planning is any time you create plans without taking God into consideration — without acknowledging his authority over all things, and that heaven rules, not you. It calls this type of planning arrogant. And we can fall into it without even knowing it.

The Bible is pro-planning. But it is anti- what we might call arrogant planning.

And arrogant planning doesn’t mean necessarily being high-handed and in opposition to God. It can mean simply forgetting about him in making your plans.

What's More Important: Keeping Things Organized, or Getting Things Done?

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Getting things done:

“Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.” (Proverbs 14:4)

You need to do both. But things will not stay perfectly organized, and there will be times when they get almost totally out of hand.

That’s OK. The manger won’t always be clean, and it’s worth it.

Keep things as orderly as you can, and when they get out of control for a while, make sure to eventually take time to clear the decks.

You shouldn’t generally have to chose. But if you have to for a time, fruitfulness is more important than organization.

And, don’t begrudge the time you have to spend getting and keeping things organized. That’s a necessary part of things, which is the main point of the verse.

The Best Book to Give to New College Students

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I know that most semesters started a few weeks ago, but Alex Chediak’s book Thriving at College: Make Great Friends, Keep Your Faith, and Get Ready for the Real World! is worth remembering at this time of year.

If you are in college I would highly recommend getting a copy of Alex’s book, and if you have a friend or family member in college, I would highly recommend getting them a copy.

I’ve blogged on the book before, and here’s the description from Randy Alcorn’s blurb, and a few other blurbs as well:

“Most Christian young people go to college without specific goals and are unprepared for the challenges that await them. While some prosper spiritually, most get derailed, and an alarming number abandon their faith. Alex has written an insightful and useful book to help college-bound people know what to expect, how to prepare for it, and what to do to avoid the pitfalls.” Randy Alcorn

“There is no better guide to college than this.”
Alex and Brett Harris, best-selling authors of Do Hard Things

“Written by an ‘insider’–a former student, now a professor, this book addresses all the issues a student might face. An excellent gift for all high school seniors.”
Jerry Bridges, best-selling author of The Pursuit of Holiness

Justice — Even in the Secular Arena — Is God's Work

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“A just balance and scales are the Lord’s; all the weights in the bag are his work.” (Proverbs 16:11)

And, God doesn’t have the sacred / secular distinction that many today have, in the sense of implying that the secular arena is insignificant and unimportant. For God is not only the one who is ultimately behind all justice; he actually takes delight in it:

“A false balance is an abomination to the Lord, but a just weight is his delight.” (Proverbs 11:1)

For more on this, see John Piper’s sermon “The Pleasure of God in Public Justice.”

Two Articles I Just Cited in My Book on Fitting Hard Thinking into Busy Schedules, Which I Highly Recommend

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And both of these are simply an application of what Drucker said in The Effective Executive:

“To be effective, every knowledge worker, and especially every executive, therefore needs to be able to dispose of time in fairly large chunks. To have small dribs and drabs of time at [your] disposal will not be sufficient even if the total is an impressive number of hours.”

Perspiration is Often the Best Form of Differentiation

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Scott Belsky in Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality:

Perspiration is the best form of differentiation, especially in the creative world. Work ethic alone can single-handedly give your ideas the boost that makes all the difference.

Unfortunately, perspiration is not glamorous. Endless late nights, multiple redrafts, and countless meetings consume the majority of your time — all with the intention of breathing life into your projects.

Passion for your work will also play an important role. Passion yields tolerance — tolerance for all of the frustration and hardship that come your way as you seek to make your ideas happen.

Now this is interesting, because I’m writing about this right now in my book: Creativity works best when channeled within the framework of a basic schedule.

In order to channel your ability to focus — and perspire — for extended periods of time, you will likely need to develop a consistent work schedule. Structuring time spent executing ideas is a best practice of admired creative leaders across industries.

It is the only way to keep up with the continuous stream of action steps and allocate sufficient time for deep thought.

A Series on Managing Stress that Actually Looks Helpful

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I’m not super in to “tips on managing stress” and the like. But stress is a significant reality in our era, and it’s worth learning some things about.

I just noticed that The Teaching Company — which has a host of excellent courses on all sorts of subjects, from science to philosophy to mathematics to history — has the course Stress and Your Body on sale for 70% off right now.

One of the things that looks interesting about it is the way it looks at the physical effects that stress has.

You can get it by audio download, CD, video download, or DVD.

Why Are You Overwhelmed?

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When you go through seasons where you feel — and are — utterly overwhelmed, here’s the ultimate reason:

“For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death itself. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:8-9).

Obviously Paul is speaking of great affliction here. But that doesn’t mean this only applies literally when your life is in danger or at risk.

We often limit the scope of what suffering is to only large, dramatic things — and this is unbiblical, as I’ve argued elsewhere.

This passage here applies to all forms of suffering, great and small.

Even if it feels like a small thing in relation to everything else going on in the world, when you feel overwhelmed there is a purpose behind that: it is to to lead you to rely more and more not on yourself, but on God.