If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish (Luke 14:26–30, KJV).
In the midst of a story about beginnings, Jesus spoke to His disciples about endings. Jesus shared an important aspect about starting—successful starts will always include a finish line.
When we look at our lives today, and maybe the lives of others, we can see ruins of foundations that were never completed: vivid plans that never came to fruition. We may have started out by doing everything right, but over time something hindered our growth (Galatians 5:7). We need to identify today what stops us from moving forward in God.
How to Make a Smart Start
Smart Starts Make God’s Plan Our Plan
Our plans don’t always work because they are flawed; we cannot account for everything. There is a difference between our plan and God’s plans—God’s plans succeed; nothing can circumvent His plans from coming to pass. We need to seek God to provide an answer to the plans we should make (Proverbs 16:11); His plans should become our plans! When God sets forth a plan it will be perfect for us (Psalms 138:8). Before we try to accomplish anything we should pray and ask God to reveal to us what His plan so we can make it ours.
Smart Starts Put Things in Priority Order
Jesus told His disciples that if they didn’t hate their father, mother, wife, children, brethren, sisters, and his own life, they could not be His disciples (Luke 14:26). Jesus didn’t mean for us to “hate” others in a general sense, but to realize that everything else should fall lower in comparison to God. God’s plans must take priority order in our life; we should realize God’s plan is the first and only plan in our life.
When we create our own plans, we will find out quickly these plans won’t work until we place them second in our life. When we make our work what God has ordained God will make it successful (Proverbs 16:3). When we put our relationship with God first, God will take care of everything else that doesn’t matter as much.
Smart Starts Consider the Consequences
In every decision we make there are potential consequences. Jesus said if we do not bear our cross and follow Him, we cannot be His disciples (Luke 14:27). Too many people make plans that satisfy themselves without considering the consequences or listening to what God is trying to tell us. When we take up our cross, we affirm that we will submit to God’s plans regardless of our own. When we yield to God’s plans, we will always be blessed. If we do not yield to His plans, we will endure consequences God never intended for us to face.
Starting Smart
Regardless of where we are with God, our plans will all lead to the same point. God desires that we follow His Word and obey His will. When we smart start, and we follow God’s plan, we will begin to see how God’s presence will unfold in our life. His plans can be found in every area of our life and everything that is within us.
