Luke 16-1-8
Now He was also saying to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and this manager was reported to him as squandering his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an accounting of your management, for you can no longer be manager.’ The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg.I know what I shall do, so that when I am removed from the management people will welcome me into their homes.’ And he summoned each one of his master’s debtors, and he began saying to the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’And he said, ‘A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, ‘Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ Then he said to another, ‘And how much do you owe?’ And he said, ‘A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, ‘Take your bill, and write eighty.’ And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.
In this passage, Jesus is not praising the servant for being underhanded or unethical. He is telling us that even a smart heathen will accomplish more than a righteous person who does not plan. He is telling us to look ahead and see where we want to be; then plan accordingly.
Some take a “mystical” approach to ministry; they create mindsets (or even theology) that suggest that planning is somehow unspiritual. But plans are not unspiritual. Nor are they often perfect.
Plans make us accountable to our vision and help us to clarify and define things. They cause us to create a measurable effect. While a good plan will have some detail, a great plan will ooze with destination. It’s the destination that tells us where the details are taking us and why they are important.
We forget or forfeit our destination when we have a bad plan. But more often, we forfeit our vision or destination because of no plan. As General Patton said, “A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.” If we focus on where we are going, we have accountability to have a plan, and we have flexibility to adjust that plan. When we focus on the end result, every decision becomes integrated and synchronized to arrive at that place. For example, a person with a passion and focus to get out of debt will treat every penny as part of the plan.
A vision without a plan is called a fantasy. There is a difference between going for a drive, and driving to a destination. What is important to you? What dream, visions, desires has God put in your heart? And what is your plan to get you to that destination?
--Keith Tucci