Proverbs 21 - Book Ends

21:1 Good leadership is a channel of water controlled by God; he directs it to whatever ends he chooses

Good leadership is wholly directed by God. I love this analogy because living on a tidal fed river I understand what a river is like. There are low tides and high tides, times of feast and times of famine. The river never runs straight but goes all over the place. Just when you think you have it figured out, it meanders or changes its course. Sometimes the river is warm and abundant with life. Other times it is cold and dead. But in the end the river always has a destination. To return to the sea, the very beginning of life! This is so much like our lives. When we embark on our journey with God, there is never a straight path, it is sometimes crazy, painful, and all over the place. There are times of great progress and times of spiritual deadness. There are times when are lives are rich and full, and others when our lives are dry and meaningless. But in the end we are heading towards our purpose. To return to our maker the beginning of life. Once we come on board God will direct our paths. It is our attitude that determines the journey.

21:31 Do your best, prepare for the worst— then trust God to bring victory

The reason I called this blog "book ends" was that not only did I excerpt the first and last verse, but they are directly correlated. When we come on board as a Christian, God has promised to complete in us the work he begins (Phil 1:6). He is always with us, guiding out path, correcting us when we get out of line, and rejoicing with us in victory. Our responsibility is just to get on board the ship and let God direct it where He may. We need to prepare by reading God's word, praying constantly, and depending on God for everything. Above all we need to be flexible and not get to frustrated by life. Life is hard and we are fighting against the principalities of darkness. Prepare, do our very best, but let God fight the battles.