How many times have I put God in a little box…expecting Him to behave in a certain manner, showing up and fulfilling His duties, only to see Him move in a completely unexpected and surprising way. That’s when all my welled planned out intentions are blown out of the water and I have to admit again…He is God and I am not. God’s Will isn’t up to me, nor do I have any control over it. It’s God that chooses when, where and how to move…not me. My job is only to be flexible and submissive when He throws me a curve ball.
Tag: God’s plan for your life
II Corinthians 12:15 ” So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less?”
Natural human love expects something in return. To sacrifice for you, you must first be really special to me, and then I also expect to be reciprocated for what I did. But in this Scripture, Paul was willing to give it all…that I may be able to get you to God. The real test here isn’t one’s willingness to teach or preach, but one’s willingness to serve. Service to others takes our time, energy, and emotional strength. It encroaches on our personal space…robs us of “me” time, and turns our carefully crafted schedules upside-down. Expending yourself for the Gospel… helping, and supporting others is a thankless job by human estimation…but it’s counted as everything in the eternity of God.
II Timothy 2:19 “…God’s solid foundation stands firm.”
Don’t fool yourself…if your motive for serving the Lord is anything but pointing others to Jesus, you won’t succeed. For any Holy Spirit empowered ministry has to have at its basis the cornerstone of Christ. Without that origin, you are out there under your own power…with lopsided purpose and motives. So ask this of yourself…Is my outreach to others self-centered or selfless? Is it about Jesus, or about me? Then listen to that still small voice inside for direction.
Job 42:1 ” Then Job replied to the Lord: ‘I know that You can do all things; no plan of Yours can be thwarted.’ “
If you get nothing else from this devotional today…please grasp this concept – nothing is too hard for the Lord. Job’s personal relationship with God helped him understand that nothing could hinder or stop God’s plan and purpose. Ephesians 1:11 says, “According to the plan of Him Who works everything in conformity with the purpose of His Will.” There is nothing that can prevent God’s Will from being fulfilled, for all power and might are in His hands. So if you’re facing impossible challenges today…take heart, nothing is too hard for the Lord.
Romans 8: 38-39 ” For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Earlier in this chapter Paul asks the question, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (Romans 8:35) His answer here is – no one or thing can possibly come between us and Jesus. No rule or force of man…no point in time…no act of good or evil can ever cut the tie we have with our Lord. The bottom line is, there is nothing in creation that can keep us apart from God…for the entirety of creation is under His authority.
Matthew 16:25 ” For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me will find it.”
It tells us in John 12:25 that, “The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” Everyday is a struggle, where our affections are pulled one way or the other. The glitter and lure of the world is great, with its promises of immediate gratification and unending ecstasy. But the cold hard truth is that our excessive fondness for things of the world will only lead us down a path to self-destruction and death. For the world tells us to live today to the fullest… to eat, drink, and be merry, with no regard for tomorrow. But the Lord tells us that there is life beyond the grave, and that the world is blinding us from this truth. If I want to save my life, I must lose it in the person of Jesus Christ…I must turn my focus and affections from the temporal to the eternal…from the fleeting to the everlasting.
Ecclesiastes 3:1 ” There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”
It’s hard to imagine, but there’s an appointed time for everything happening in your life today. From the very important to the mundane, each matter has been carefully created by God to fit perfectly within His purpose and timetable. In verse 11 of this chapter we read that God has made everything beautiful in its own time…in its right and proper time. For with the Lord, there is no unplanned or unintended actions…that’s because His timing is always perfect.
Genesis 12:1 ” The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.’ “
It takes huge faith to respond to God’s call when He says, “Go!” And it takes tremendous trust to say “Yes” when you don’t have a clue what’s to come. But without that faith and trust in God…you’ll never fulfill His plan and purpose in your life. Sometimes, God will ask you to take a leap of faith, but know that He’s there ready to catch you…you just have to jump.
Colossians 1:9 ” For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His Will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
This would be my prayer for you today also. That the Lord would accomplish in your life His plan and purpose… and you would be able to grasp the concept and see the relationship between knowing God and living for Him. You know God to live…in other words, you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ which leads to eternal life. But then, you live to know God…that is, you continue to faithfully walk with God, which develops this close, intimate relationship that only grows deeper every day. I pray that you would know God to live, and live to know God. Amen.
Matthew 7: 13-14 ” Enter by the narrow gate…Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life…”
Living for Christ is hard…there’s no way around it. The moment you say “Yes” to Jesus, the world labels you as “One of those crazy religious people”. But it’s by those troubles we encounter that we learn perseverance and are forged into a willing vessel for God . And with each difficulty, we go from wounded to winner. As Oswald Chambers once said, “Do we appreciate the miraculous salvation of Jesus Christ enough to be our utmost for His Highest – our best for His glory?” Yes, the way is narrow and filled with difficulties, but just look where it leads.
Safetypinlove 