I’m sure we’re all very familiar with an adage I used to love as a kid and ever since:  “Plan ahead.  It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark!”

So true.  And indeed something that garnered him entrance into the “hall of faith” in Hebrews 11.

But in this post I’d like to look at a New Testament example and discuss two aspects or applications of this time-tested truth.  (There’s a reason an adage, well, becomes an adage.)

First, the New Testament example of this general application.

I love the Apostle Paul.  Other than the Lord Jesus Himself – with whom none  can even begin  to compare – Paul has always been at the top of my list of biblical heroes.  (Along with David, Daniel, Joseph, Abraham, Job, and Samuel and Ruth and Rahab, and pre-decline Solomon [Proverbs Solomon, not Ecclesiastes Solomon], among others.)  I love everything about him.  His utter tenacity in fulfilling what he believed to be right.  (His view was of course diametrically opposite of God’s before a certain meeting on the road to Damascus, but even then nobody can say he wasn’t tenacious and dedicated.  Misguided, yes, but totally tenacious and dedicated.)  His love for others — sometimes, when called for, tough love (e.g., 2 Corinthians and especially Galatians) – which surpasses anyone I’ve ever seen or heard of other than the Lord Jesus Himself, when in Romans 9:3 he says that he loved his fellow Jews so much that, if it were an option, he’d give up his own salvation in exchange for theirs.  That he’d put himself under the eternal curse of hell if it meant they would go to heaven.  Ladies and gentlemen, that is a level of love I can’t even imagine much less say I possess.  I’m a very loving person — always have been in a human, social sense but even exponentially more so since I started memorizing the Bible on a regular, systematic basis — but I’m quite sure I’ll never reach the point where I’d be willing to give up my salvation for anyone else’s.  But that’s exactly the level of love which the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22) had sewn in Paul’s transformed heart and life.  Amazing.  Stunning.  And so admirable.

But one aspect of the Apostle Paul I’ve come to appreciate especially in recent years is his sense of practicality and attention to details.  Wanna see what I’m talking about?  Just read what he wrote near the end of his life:  “Only Luke is with me.  Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service.  But Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.  When you come bring the cloak which I left at Troas with Carpus, and the books, especially the parchments.” (2 Timothy 4:11-13)

At first glance there might not seem to be much in these three short verses.  But upon closer inspection we can learn a LOT about Paul.  His personality and nature.  Social, connected, great leader shepherding his fellow workers like a great army general would on the battlefield.  Delegating various tasks to various people, as best suited.  More concerned about the churches he had planted and people he had led to Christ (in this case, at Ephesus) than his own emotional comfort, i.e., I think it’s safe to say that the vast majority of people nearing the very end of their life (verses 6-7) would seek to surround themselves with as many of their loved ones as possible.  But not Paul!  No sir, no ma’am, he kept just one by his side at that time (Luke) so the others could continue on in ministry and spreading the Gospel and watering the growth of new believers and churches.  What selflessness!  He clearly had internalized what the Holy Spirit had led him to write in Philippians 2:3-4.  Always thinking about the interest of others, not his own, under the umbrella of always thinking about the interests and desires and will of God.

His sense of practicality is also demonstrated in this passage and downright palpable.  He saw that Mark could be useful to him in ministry and didn’t hesitate to put those wheels into motion.

His love for the Bible is also demonstrated in that “the books” and “parchments” likely refer to the Old Testament.  We’ll have to wait until heaven to find out for sure but I’m 99.99% certain that Paul also internalized what the Holy Spirit had led him to write in Colossians 3:16, that he had memorized and regularly recited huge portions of the Bible at the time, the Old Testament.  (I also often wonder and can hardly wait to find out from him personally if he knew or at least had a sense, had any inkling that many of his penned letters to churches and individuals would comprise a huge part of the Bible’s New Testament.  I.e., it’s possible that under the miraculous umbrella of “dual” authorship – human and divine – the human author was referring to the Old Testament when he wrote 2 Timothy 3:16 while the divine Author was of course, we know now, referring prophetically to the entire Bible, the whole of Scripture.)  But what’s 100% known is that he loved the Bible, the Word of God, EVERY word of God, with all his heart and mind and soul.  [I wish there were far more ways in which my life imitated Paul’s but praise the Lord this is definitely one of them, a deep and abiding love and respect for His Word, which is why I’ve dedicated literally the rest of my life to memorizing the entire Bible, every word of the Word, so I can recite His own words in that greatest (and longest =) of all love letters BACK TO HIM as a unique and indeed historic love/thank-You gift for all He has done for me and us, all He does, all He intends to yet do, and just for who and how He is!]

But wait, there’s more!  Another thing demonstrated in this passage, in these three short verses, is that Paul – like Noah – planned ahead.  Did you catch that phrase “bring the cloak”?  A cloak was a piece of garment which doubled as a coat and blanket.  He makes clear in verse 21 that “winter” was coming, and he wanted Timothy to come before winter and bring Paul’s coat/blanket so he’d be fully prepared.  Planning ahead!  (On a side note, that was TWO THOUSAND years ago yet isn’t it interesting that in many ways he and the people of that time weren’t much different from us.  Don’t we shop for or unpack our winter clothes in advance of its expected arrival?  Indeed we do.  Paul was doing the very same thing, but was tied up at the moment so asked Timothy to do so for him.  Thinking ahead, planning ahead.)

But my other favorite example of this is also near the end of one of his penned-letters-turned-New-Testament-book:  Romans 15:22-25.  It’s clear from the people and places mentioned in Chapter 16 that he wrote the letter from Corinth.

Here’s where the “planning ahead” comes in.

You see, if you were to look at a map of those times, you’d see Corinth then to the left/west you’d see Rome and then further to the left/west of that you’d see Spain.

Do you know what that means?  Not only that Paul was planning (ahead) his trip to Spain in advance, but also made the necessary arrangements, like sending this letter via Phoebe (16:1-2), far enough in advance that they’d have time to make the necessary preparations for his “in passing on his way to Spain” visit “for a while” (verse 24), and also enough time to “help him out” financially on that journey.  He left nothing to chance.  Very detailed.  Very organized (probably the most EVER).  Always planning ahead!

And that brings me to the second aspect or application of that wise practice I’d like to discuss here.

It’s very important and beneficial to PLAN AHEAD in life.  But you know what’s infinitely more important?  To plan ahead for the NEXT LIFE, the life to come, ETERNITY.

For one reason, unlike winter, our physical death often doesn’t give ANY WARNING or ADVANCE NOTICE – so it’s absolutely imperative to do all of our planning for such NOW, while we still can.

One sad but perfect example is 9/11.  Those tragic terrorist attacks against our country in 2001.  I think about that throughout the year but inescapably at the end of every summer, with each passing anniversary of that horrific day.  And you want to know one of my main takeaways from it?  The fact that around THREE THOUSAND people simply went to their office or hopped on a plane as they no doubt had countless times before.  It was just a regular, normal, average day.  UNTIL IT WASN’T.

Those killed on that somber day had years and years and years to get their eternal destiny in order.  To plan ahead.  Before it was too late.  Because just like when that door on Noah’s Ark closed as the rains fell and flooding of historic proportions commenced, and it was too late for those people to change their mind and board that boat – i.e., to be saved – so also when a person dies and departs this physical world, it will be too late to reserve one’s place in heaven.  No my friends, that’s a reservation which can only be made in this life, while one is still alive, before the rains and flood of death occurs.  And I just want to urge each and every one of you to “be all the more diligent to MAKE CERTAIN” (2 Peter 1:10; also 2 Corinthians 13:5, per that recent post) that you’re saved and have a room waiting for you in heaven long before that day comes and this life ends.

But HOW, you might ask?  Simple.  Literally.  Simple faith in Jesus Christ and Him alone:

• in His perfect, sinless life (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22)
• in His substitutionary death on our behalf, for our sins (Romans 3:23; 6:23; 1 John 2:2)
• in His subsequent burial and resurrection from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-28)

That’s it, nothing else. (John 3:16)  By the pure grace of God through faith in His appointed mediator, Jesus Christ. (1 Timothy 2:4-6)

You don’t have to go to church (though you’ll want to – John 2:17; Hebrews 10:24-25).  You don’t even have to do good works (though you will – Ephesians 2:10).  We need simply to acknowledge that we’re sinners and therefore unable to be let into heaven, into the physical presence of the infinitely holy and righteous God, and then to put our faith in the fact that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins so we CAN and WILL spend eternity in heaven.  The substitutionary, propitiatory sacrifice of Jesus and subsequent resurrection totally resolves that otherwise conundrum!  God can let sinners into heaven, into His holy presence, because those sins have been replaced with the righteousness of Jesus Christ! (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Unlike Paul, I would never trade my salvation and willingly spend eternity in hell so someone else could spend it in heaven instead.  (Sorry, I’m very loving but not that  loving. =)  But I would  trade my physical  life so someone else could go to heaven, if that were possible.  Gladly.  But it’s not.  Why?  Because if I sacrificed my life so you could go to heaven, it wouldn’t do any good – because I’d merely be paying the price for my OWN sins (Romans 6:23; also 5:6-10).  But that’s where Christ is different than ANY OTHER person.  While Adam’s sin has been passed down to everyone else since creation and the fall of man in the garden of Eden (Romans 5:12), Christ avoided that since He was conceived not by a man (Joseph or any other) but rather by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18).  So He WAS able to offer His own body as payment for the sins of others, of everyone, of “the whole world” as 1 John 2:2 puts it.  He literally traded places with us (2 Corinthians 5:21 – more on this in a future post, incredible, the great “switcharoo”, the ultimate “no-brainer slam-dunk”!) and went to hell in our stead (Ephesians 4:9-10; 1 Peter 3:18-22) so we don’t have to, so we can go to heaven!  So when you and I leave this world and stand at the gates of heaven and are asked why we should be let in, there’s only one right, acceptable, accepted answer:  because of what JESUS did FOR US and that ALONE.

And praise the Lord that if indeed this is what ANY person is wholly, fully, and solely relying and depending on, I’m telling you right now on the full authority of the Bible and thus God Himself (it’s HIS Word, not mine) that you can KNOW with ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY that your reservation for a room in heaven has indeed been arranged beforehand.

May we be wise – like Noah, like Paul – to PLAN AHEAD.  Not just for matters of this life but also and far more importantly for the life to come.
.
.
If you sense that the Lord might be leading YOU to support the historic event unfolding in real-time here at BibleMemory.ORG and thus become my fellow worker and thus share in all of the fruit and blessings (3 John 8) and literally MAKE HISTORY together, here are the best ways to do so:

1. Become a one-time or monthly partner by making a donation via PayPal’s fully-secure Bible Memory page!

2. Encourage as many people as you can to support this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/support (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches to the green box and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!

3. Add your name to my Prayer List!

4. Encourage as many of our fellow Christians as you can to pray for this historic event by having them go to BibleMemory.ORG/pray (please make sure they understand that it’s .org, not .com) – doing so by word-of-mouth is great, and to do so with a single click on your social media simply click here then scroll down a few inches and select your platforms, it’s that quick and easy!

5. Share this post  on your social media by clicking on one or more of these platforms:

.
.