It’s the beginning of a New Year, and if we plan to succeed in business, family life, or eternal life, it would be wise for us to plan for the future. Most of us are continually trying to see and understand what is coming next into our lives, to look around the corner of life, hoping to somehow see what the future holds for us, but the problem is that the future can be very elusive. Solomon wrote, “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other. Therefore, a man cannot discover anything about his future…Since no man knows the future, who can tell him what is to come? (Ecclesiastes 7:14, 8:7). It seems that it doesn’t matter how much we search, most of our future is hidden from us.
Some people depend on luck or myths and religious traditions that are said to give us smooth sailing through life. Some of us look to the company we work for, old age pensions, the government, and other man-made methods that have been devised to help us as we grow older, but not necessarily wiser. But Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and other government programs are slowly becoming too expensive to maintain, and large corporations are cutting health and retirement benefits. It seems that it doesn’t matter how much we plan, the pitfalls of life seem to reach out and slam us with problems we are not expecting.
How are we to avoid some of life’s hazards? One of the ways is to seek out as much wisdom and knowledge as we can. King David had died and his son Solomon took over as the leader of the nation of Israel. One night, as he was sleeping, God appeared to Solomon and said, “Ask for whatever you want Me to give you.” Solomon answered God, “Give me wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people, for who is able to govern this great people of yours?” (2 Chronicles 1:10). Doing what Solomon did would be a good place for us to start our planning for the future, asking God to give us the wisdom to do the right thing for our family, friends, employees, employers and all the other people that are a part of our lives. “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21).
King Nebuchadnezzar built an image of gold, ninety feet high and nine feet wide and he told all of his officials to come to the dedication of the image. When they had assembled for the ceremony, the announcer said that when everyone hears the sound of all kinds of music that they must fall down and worship this image of gold, and if they don’t they would be thrown into a furnace of fire. But Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego paid no attention to the king’s command. They would not worship the image of gold Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
The king was furious, and had these three men brought before him and asked them if it was true that they do not serve his gods or worship the image of gold he had set up? Then he told them that if they didn’t worship the image they would be thrown into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my hand?”
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego told the king that they did not need to defend themselves before him in this matter. And if they are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God they serve is able to save them from it, and He will rescue them from the king’s hand. But even if He does not, we want you to know, king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were immediately thrown into the fiery furnace and the fire did not harm their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them (Daniel 3:1-27). These three men were not afraid of what this world could do to them; they built their earthly and eternal future on their faith in God, and God took them through the fires of life. “If the Lord delights in a man’s way, he makes his steps firm” (Psalm 37:23).
A person that does not prepare for their future is being very foolish, especially when it comes to our eternal future. We have a tendency to think that our earthly foundations are more important than our eternal foundation, but that is a serious mistake. Our earthly foundations must be able to withstand the storms of life. But the foundation that we build our eternal future on must be able to pass the judgement of God.
Jesus tells us of the two different types of foundations that people build their eternal future on in Matthew 7:24-27. He said that everyone that hears His words and puts them into practice is a wise person. But he also said that everyone that hears His words and does not put them into practice is a foolish person. The only valid proof that we are Christians is a life of obedience to Jesus Christ. Only the foundation built on God’s Word will stand up to God’s judgement, all other foundations, human ideas, human philosophies, and human religions will fail.
God has given each of us a certain amount of time on this earth, a person’s days are determined; God has decreed the number of our months and have set limits we cannot exceed (Job 14:5). And each of us will give an account of himself to God (Romans 14:12). Humans are destined to die once, and after that to face the judgement of God (Hebrews 9:27) Your eternal destiny depends on your earthly choices.