Jul 05

Closely associated with the desires of the heart are the plans and dreams that flow from those heart desires. What happens to all the plans and dreams a man or woman lays down during a lifetime?

If that person is an unbeliever, those plans and dreams, like all else come to nothing. How tragic that a person can live an entire lifetime, trying to achieve goals that are borne out of the depths of a heart, only to find them all shattered and broken at the end of that life. Yet that is what Scripture depicts as the end of all dreams and plans that are not in accord with God's plan for an individual's life.

"When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing" (Ps. 146:4).

It is a different story, however, for the person in Christ. To this person, God says, "I know the plans I have for you, . . . plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jer. 29:11).

There is no greater hope, prosperity, or future than to know that at death, when the unbeliever loses everything, the believer in Christ will keep dreams and hopes for eternity -- because the One on whom those hopes and dreams were built is eternal, and those who live to honor his hopes and dreams will find themselves blessed with hopes and dreams that cannot be taken away from them by death.

Scripture for today: Psalm 146:4; Jer. 29:11
Thought for today: Dreams and hopes die unless they are the hopes and dreams of God.
Prayer for today: Lord, make my dreams and hopes yours, so that they will live forever.

JUL 05