Good morning. God has plans, purposes, and a sense of humor. Consider:
On December 2,1804 Napoleon was being coronated Emperor of France. The ceremony was presided over by Pope Pius VII, but not without issues. When the moment came for the Pope to officially crown Napoleon, the new emperor snatched the crown out of his hand and crowned himself. This was intended to make a statement that Napoleon saw himself as an authority beyond and above any that needed the approval of the church. In his speech from the Notre Dame Cathedral Napoleon made the statement that his plans for France were so great and grand that they were beyond even the mind of God. Some said of Napoleon that his maniacal demands and behaviors as the leader of France were more reminiscent of the Roman Emperor Nero, (who was famous for his questionable sanity) than of any right-minded leader. When Napoleon heard of those rumors he scoffed, dismissed them as ridiculous, and promised severe punishment for anyone who would say anything like that in the future.
To make his big day all the more memorable, Napoleon paid 23,500 francs to Andre-Jacques Garnerin to build a colossal hot-air balloon in honor of the coronation and to inspire the awe of the French people. At the appropriate moment and to conclude the coronation, the balloon was set free to float over France. It did just that and continued to fly over 700 miles until it finally came to rest near Rome. They say that the place where the great balloon finally settled…was on the tomb of Nero.
That story if true, and it is repeated in some history books, seems to point out that the best formed plans of a person, no matter how great and grand that person may be thought to be, pale in comparison to the thoughts or plans of our Almighty God.
In James’ letter this point is clearly made: Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. James 4:13-17
Please consider today the importance of putting the Lord your God at the center of your plans, whether they are great or small. To set aside His will to accomplish our own is foolish and such plans are unlikely to be blessed.
Vern