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How to Make the Most of 2017: For Him and Through Him

Here are the links to Part 1 and Part 2.

The two earlier blogs kept things firmly in the realm of the natural. It seems we can follow them with our ability. That’s great while things go according to plan, but what happens when they don’t? What happens when the problems are beyond our natural ability?

This is why it’s foolish to plan without God. As my wife and I looked back on 2016, it was only God’s grace that got us through it. She had an insight on what God’s grace looked like:

“God multiplied everything. He multiplied our days, our money, our energy so we could do what He wanted us to do.”

This year, we need God to multiply everything so we can survive and thrive. In the account of Jesus feeding the five thousand in John 6, his disciples saw the people who needed to be fed, saw the meager amount of food, and asked, “How far will so little go among so many?

We might see much of our life and our plans the same way.

  • How far will so little money go among so much need?
  • How far will so little time go among so much requirements?
  • How far will so little energy go among so much demands on us?
  • How far will so little wisdom go among so much uncertainty?

The answer is we need God to multiply it. We need Him to create resources where we don’t have any.

  • We can budget our salary all we want. But let’s also trust God to open new income streams.
  • God could give you insight so that our work could get done in a fraction of the time.
  • God can multiply our energy better than an energy drink.
  • Ask God for insight and He’ll give it to you generously.

The secret to unlocking this divine multiplying effect, this grace of God, is in Proverbs 16:3:

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Commit this year to God. Committing means two things:

“God this work is FOR You.” Look back at the plans you’ve made. Are they entirely for yourself?

“God this work will be done THROUGH You.” We acknowledge that these goals are so big and impossible to do alone. This causes us to pray regularly not because we have to, but because we need to.

2017 will be an unforgettable year for us. And we need God to make it happen. What are your big plans for 2017 that you want to commit to God?

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