Proverbs 19:21

Make your plans the same as God’s plans and you will have the truest of success.  You will be working for what God already wants done.  How will you not succeed?

And what does He want?

Merely for people to come to Him, to love Him, to live closely with Him from the heart each and every moment.

How amazing that He chooses us to do some of His work.

I really like Tremper Longman’s interpretation and commentary on this verse:

Many plans are in people’s hearts, but the advice of Yahweh, that is what will succeed.

People have many strategies, but unless they follow the advice of God, they will not come to fruition.  This observation discourages the idea that human strategy can lead to success.  We must depend on God.

Matthew 19:29

Giving up anything for the sake of following Jesus is really no loss at all.  In fact, it is the hugest of gain.

You could say that the mathematics of God’s kingdom state that u-x will end up being equal to u+100x, where u is, well, you, and x is whatever you give up for Christ.

Makes no sense, I know, but that’s the beauty of our wonderful generous God and His upside down kingdom.

Holding on to stuff we really don’t need, now that’s loss.  Great loss.  And all we really need is God.  The rest is taken care of.  Seek Him first and we will be fed and clothed (Mt.6:33).

This is a promise.  This is absolute truth.