Wasted Plans
- Rev. Jerry Lepasana
- Apr 10, 2005
- Series: Life's Too Short
WASTED PLANS
Luke 12:16-21
- And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.
- He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
- "Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
- And I'll say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry." '
- "But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
- "This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."
The government had released the most recent studies concerning life expectancy. Gerontologists, the scientists who study aging, say that the average life span has grown dramatically in this century. During the early nineteen hundreds, the average life span was only 47 years. Nowadays, it’s 77.2 years – 74.4 for men, 79. 8 for women. The increase may sound a lot, especially for younger people; however, the reality is 77 or even 100 years are still very short. With the pace life is going, before anyone can truly enjoy it, it’s gone.
The Bible has always been very clear about the brevity of life:
"My days are swifter than a runner; they fly away without a glimpse of joy.
Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
For Job, life moves too fast, so we can’t enjoy it; while for James, it’s only like a mist that only appears for a short time.
Beginning this morning up to the first Sunday of May, I would like us to focus on this very significant truth – Life is Too Short. I believe with all my heart that we should not ignore this reality. If we want to maximize the opportunities in this life, we need to be conscious of this fact at all times. In fact, when you examine our chosen text, the consciousness about the shortness of life is so serious that God himself called the person who took life for granted as a FOOL – one who lacks understanding. Do you want to be called a fool? Let’s consider our text, and see some important principles on how we can maximize our opportunities in life.
I DEVELOP SOME WISE PLANS:
The parables of the Lord Jesus were all designed to instruct heavenly truths. The main truth in this parable lies on the failure of the rich fool to plan appropriately.
At the outset, you will admire the rich man for his brilliance as far as his farming business was concern:
- He knows how to produce a great harvest.
- He was very strategic as to what he needs to do to maximize his profit.
- He understands the value of saving, so he can conveniently retire.
At the least, he was a man who values planning. Let me ask you, do you bother to make some plans as you go through your journey? Do you have some goals you want to achieve? How are you going to achieve those goals? There are many people who treat life with a mentality, “Whatever happens, happens.” We need to be responsible in determining where we want to go, and how we want to get there. However, in the course of planning, we need to be aware about the uncertainty of life and the sovereignty of God. Listen to what James reminds us about it:
- Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money."
- Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.
- Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that."
It is with arrogance and false presumption to say we are going to do this or that, travel here or there, without humble reference to the will of God. This is not only because of life’s uncertainty, but also because of its too short.
II DON’T SETTLE FOR SHORT-RANGE PLANS:
There are two basic types of plans: long- or short-range. For the rich fool, he did not plan beyond the grave. He settled for short-range plans. How unfortunate to enjoy an earthly life and perish in the next. The Lord Jesus exposes the tragedy of neglecting to plan for eternity.
- What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
- Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
Don’t fail to plan for eternity. The greatest tragedy in the story is not what this man has left behind, but what is laid before him: eternity without God.
“God has promised us forgiveness for our repentance, but God has not promised us a tomorrow in which to repent.” (Augustine)
III DECIDE THE EFFECTIVE ACTION PLANS:
Plans must include some specific strategies so you can reach your desired goals. We all need to plan our performance, and make sure it includes these three major action plans.
A. Spend Eternity in Heaven:
The most important decision anyone will make in life is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you are not sure where you will spend eternity, humble yourself, and receive the gift of life through Jesus Christ.
"I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
B. Secure a Victorious Life:
While you’re waiting to be with Jesus, live your life victoriously for Him. Christian life is often compared to a battle, or a struggle. We have to be prepared to face some tough challenges. The apostle Paul warns Timothy that if he has a conflict of interest, he will never be victorious.
- Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
- No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs--he wants to please his commanding officer.
C. Strive in Leading Others to Heaven:
Let’s us not forget that our main purpose for being here is to lead other people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ This responsibility must be fulfilled relationally and intentionally.
- for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
- How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?
Our greatest accomplishments in this life are those we can enjoy in heaven. No doubt, this applies to the people we have won for Jesus. We are pulled in many directions every single day of our lives. We have to focus on things which are really important.
IV DEMAND THE EVALUATION OF PLANS:
Lastly, we need to set personal mile markers to check our progress. In order not to waste a lot of time and energy, we have to make sure we evaluate our performances to determine whether amendments are necessary.
Today there are millions of people who are giving their time and energy for worldly things and forgetting God. Even Job warns regarding the possibility of being deceived – going for the futile things.
Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless, for he will get nothing in return.
We need to constantly check if there are unproductive pursuits in our lives. We can avoid many painful experiences if we require self- evaluation.
- But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.
- When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world.
Life is too short to waste! We need to have the right plans which must include our earthly journey and eternity. Death has no favorites – rich, poor, young or old. And it can come when its least expected. The critical question is, “How will you spend the final hours of your life?” Reality is that life here on earth must be treated as if we’re living on our final hours.