Post-feast of the Transfiguration; Holy Martyr and Archdeacon Lawrence (249-51)
Dormition Fast. Abstention from meat and foods that contain meat.
1 Corinthians 16:4-12; Matthew 21:28-32
Read 1 Corinthians 16:4-12
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
“If God wills” is the phrase my late baba (grandmother) would often reply in response to our sharing plans for the next few days. She always acknowledged that whatever plans we may make in our life and whatever desires we may want to fulfill, as Christians, we must strive to discover and fulfill the Lord’s will for our lives.
St. Paul expresses to the Corinthians his desire to come visit them, but more importantly than that, he acknowledges that this will only occur “if the Lord permits.” For St. Paul, his plans were secondary to the plans the Lord desired for His life and ministry as an apostle.
We may think our plans will suit us better than the plans the Lord has for us, but the Lord reassures us, through the words of the Prophet Jeremiah, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (29:11 ESV).