The Best Plans Are Made by God

Almost 14 years ago I resigned as pastor of First Baptist Church in Rayville, Louisiana for the purpose of retirement. My post-retirement plan was to move back to South Carolina, the state where both Brenda and I were born and had lived until 1972 when we moved to New Orleans where I enrolled at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Beyond moving back to South Carolina, I had no specific plan. Looking back at that time, I'm convinced that God had a plan for me. His plan was for me to embark on a ministry serving churches as an interim pastor.

The best plans for our lives are always God's plan. Following God's plan for me to serve churches as interim pastor, I just finished serving the tenth church in almost 14 years. My ministry at Salem Baptist Church ended February 15th. Just like the other nine churches, serving Salem was a joyous, fulfilling time. During the entire time we were at Salem and with generous expressions of love and appreciation at the end, Salem Baptist Church made Brenda and I feel loved. From the beginning it was a relationship of mutual love and cooperation.

What I am saying about Salem is descriptive of each of the churches where I have served as interim pastor. We were loved and accepted in each one. Looking back there were victories to be celebrated. Hopefully, God's kingdom was advanced. Just as God had a post-retirement plan for me as an individual, God has perfect plans for all His churches. Churches need to be reminded and remember that the best plans are made by God. To discern and follow God's plans, sometimes hurts must be healed, course corrections may be needed, and fellowship must be restored. The word of God and power of the Holy Spirit must be the catalyst for implementation of God's plans.

Now that I have finished another interim where mutual gratitude and love were constants, what is the key to such a relationship? I think love for Jesus and love for the word of God are the two primary keys. When people love Jesus and love the word of God, the life and ministry of the church will be shaped by that love. We should never forget that Jesus is the Living Word of God, and the Bible is the written word of God. Loving Jesus and the Bible is transformative in the life of God's people.

Each time I have finished an interim, I have sought the Lord's will as to the future. In God's perfect timing, before my time at Salem ended, I was contacted by another church who was seeking an interim pastor. It happened to be a church that I previously served as interim. After meeting with the church leadership and prayer, I feel that God is leading me to accept the position of interim pastor at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Hartsville. My first Sunday will be March 5th.

God's plans are the best. This is true for all people, in all walks of life. "The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deuteronomy 29:29). Just as God had plans for His people that He was willing to make known, He has plans for us. If we follow in obedience, we will be successful.