What little boy hasn’t tried to make a lemonade stand on a hot summer day?
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and you know as well as I do that all it takes is a little thirst on a warm afternoon and soon some kid has found a card table, painted a poster, and hunted up sugar and lemons, ice cubes and a cooler. Before long, he and his friends are on the corner selling lemonade in hopes of making millions. My friend Doug tells about the time his three sons made a lemonade stand. One afternoon he walked into his garage and noticed his boys were hard at work with ply board, hammering nails. Looking over their shoulder, he realized they were putting together a little cart – a few boards, some old wheels, a little paint… when Doug asked about their plan, his boys said they intended to push it to a construction site at the other end of the neighborhood where they could sell lemonade to the workers.
Doug inspected their wooden stand from a distance; it was pretty crude – the wheels wobbled; the sign was barely readable. Still, he was very impressed with their plan. He told me later, “You know, it didn’t matter how rickety their lemonade stand was; I was just happy to see them make the effort – I was really proud of them!”
Doug thought about his boys all that night. The next morning, he was still so pleased about the initiative his boys took that he decided to drive to Home Depot and purchase paint, two by fours, lumber, and nails. He then constructed a nice, well-designed, sturdy lemonade stand with a push handle and solid wheels – boy, were his kids excited! As he watched his sons happily head down the street with the new cart, he beamed. He was so delighted to make their day.
And you know, this is such a great illustration of how God is delighted when we take the initiative to plan something great in the kingdom. It’s true, though, that when we, his children, do come up with an idea to advance God’s cause, our plans, from God’s perspective, probably look like a rickety lemonade stand. Our efforts are feeble and faltering… our plan is full of holes… our resources are few and limited, and our prayers seem weak and faint – it’s like we’re making a homemade lemonade stand. But just like a good daddy, our Father in heaven is watching over our shoulders, and he’s delighted to see us take the initiative.
Because when we commit our plans to him, he takes our meager efforts and our few resources… he works through our small prayers and vision and produces something eternally valuable for the kingdom. When we commit things to him, the Lord takes great pleasure in our plans. Proverbs 16:2-4 puts it this way, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. The Lord works out everything for his own ends.” That’s right: he’ll work out your plan for his own ends – what great news: God will get the glory and you will gain the reward. Friend, if you want to meet a need for the sake of the kingdom today, first, bathe it in prayer, commit it to the Lord (that’s the important part), devise a plan, and then get the ball rolling. And as you do, sense the pleasure, feel the smile of your heavenly Father who is looking on; he will be more than delighted with your effort! How do I know this? Psalm 37:5-6 says, “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: he will make your righteousness shine like the dawn.” That’s a wonderful promise to which we all can raise a glass of lemonade!
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 91376
© Joni and Friends