“Woe to the obstinate children declares the LORD,
to those who carry out plans that are not mine,
forming an alliance
but not by my spirit, heaping sin upon sin;…”
Isaiah 30:1 NIV
Today I will spend my time in the garden walking a well marked pathway
through the woods. It is serene. The tranquility is perfect for worship.
The trees make available a canopy that provides coolness and a welcome relief
from the heat of the sun. During this time of reflection, I stop and stroke a
bed of soft, emerald green moss. The softness of the moss is reminiscent of the
love of my Father in heaven.
As I walk I begin to ponder this
question. Why is it so hard to accept
disappointment when the plans I make fail? It is during this time I begin
to search my soul for answers. My mind immediately goes to God’s Word. “In His heart a man plans his course, but
the Lord determines his steps.” Proverbs 16:9 NIV
As a child I learned a scripture verse found in Jeremiah 29:11, but I
must confess there have been many times that I didn’t believe this scripture
was true “I know the plans I have for
you,… plans to prosper you …plans to give you hope and a future.” My
questions of unbelief would come to me during the times when my heart was
broken, when my dreams were unfulfilled, when death took a loved one, or when
money was scarce. My response to God was, “How can this thing be good? How is
this in my best interest? How will this prosper me? Why did you give me this
talent and then not allow me to use it? Where is my hope and where is my future
in this scenario?
During times when I am working through confusion I have found that it
is best to go back to square one. Today God faithfully began to remind me
that on the day I was conceived I was created as his masterpiece. A masterpiece
is something that is created with extraordinary skill. It is not always perfect
but it is designed with great care for a specific purpose. Every single person
ever created by God is a masterpiece! All of God’s masterpieces come fully equipped
with flaws and imperfection, yet every creation has the ability to carry out
their own specific purpose. God has designed each one of us to look the way he
wanted us to look, he gave us a mind to work as he deemed best, and he gave us
all specific abilities, gifts and talents to use for his glory and our
enjoyment. God also put within each of us an eternal soul. God gave each of us our
own unique personality and temperament. He lovingly installed inside each of us
a set of human flaws that he uses as tools as he attempts to draw us into a
personal relationship with him. You see, our flaws create need, and that need
is the need of a Savior. All of us need a Savior to help us deal with all that
life sends across our path. God created us and on the day we were conceived he
set the plan for our life in action and he began the plan by selecting our
parents and our place of birth.
Taking the first step in God’s perfect plan for our life requires an
understanding that we have a personal need for God to re-create us. This can
occur as a child or as an adult. The process is also referred to by some as
being born again. At the time we experience this new birth, we also receive the
Holy Spirit, who lives inside of us. As believers we have the unique privilege
of receiving direction for our life from the Holy Spirit as he speaks the words
of the Father into our mind. Jesus said
that this is a process that is as mysterious as the wind, and so it is by
faith alone that we believe in the unseen and when we believe we begin to
experience the mystery. But first, we must accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and
Savior. We must invite him to come into our life. We must be born of water and
then again born by the Spirit. …Jesus declared,
“I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God kingdom of God
God has had a plan for your life since the day you were conceived.
This plan involves your faith, your family, your career, your finances, and
your ministry. God has specific plans for you that include his love for you and
you loving him in return. We begin to show God our love for him through our
gratitude and our personal worship. After we have fallen in love with Jesus we
should chose to live our life by being,
doing, going, and playing
according to his perfect plan for our life. God’s plan is the same for all
humanity it is only the details of that plan that are custom made for each one
of his masterpieces.
Being – It is God’s plan that we be diligent in our work, be available for service, be responsible with our finances, and be there for our family.
Doing – We are to do
our best when we are at work, we
are to do our ministry as well
as we can while we work to accomplish God’s eternal purposes; we do our best to plan and manage our finances wisely. We are to do all we can to reach out in love to the needs of our family.
Going – We are to go
to work and perform our tasks with
the mind set of being a dependable employer or employee, we go into our ministry as a humble servant, we go about managing our money with an openhanded spirit of gratitude and
giving as we give back to God and to others, and we go about serving our family in selfless love.
Playing – We are also created to play. We are to
enjoy and play with our co-workers. We are to celebrate our ministry. We are to make time to play
and enjoy life because this is necessary for our rest, relaxation
and restoration. We are to enjoy and
play with our family because this develops unity, love, respect, and makes
happy memories.
God has also included in his plan space for us to rest. On the
seventh day God rested and so must we. We are more productive when we take time
to rest. There are also other times for relaxation and fun. Playtime makes us
laugh, enjoy others, relax, and provides opportunity for restoration.
Unfortunately, play also has a dark side. Too much play can cost too much time
and too much money. Therefore, we must pass our recreation through the Holy Spirit
and ask him to help us to play in a manner that is pleasing to God.
So why does the plan that God has specifically created for us often go
south? My guess is because it is our plan, NOT his plan. The bumps in the road of our life are often there
because of our disobedience and refusal to follow God’s plan. When we go about
our life ignoring God we run the danger of stubbing our toe. When we fail to
consult him before making a major decision we are going off, as they say, “Half-cocked”!
If you are not a believer you must realize that you do not have access
to God’s plan for your life. Non-believers eyes are veiled from spiritual
understanding. On the other hand, when one becomes a believer that person must
open their eyes and hone in on God’s plan for their life through the direction
of the Holy Spirit, because now, God will little by little reveal his plan for
your life through the Spirit. When believers ignore the directives of the
Spirit there will bumps in the road and personal failure. Seeking to know God’s
will and hearing his voice requires that we set aside blocks of time in
solitude without intrusion from the world around us. Sometimes we are simply
not willing to do what is necessary in order to hear from God. Hearing the
voice of God takes more than one visit to the beautiful garden of prayer! We
must desire to know God’s plan for us and then we must seek him and ask for him
to reveal his will to us.
The bumps in the road come when we choose to do it our way. In our
work ethic and our career, if we are slackers we will fail. If we insist on
having a career that makes us feel good or lets us do what we believe we are
gifted to do, we often leave God out of the equation and do it our way without
even consulting him. We often pursue our desire more than we pursue God. If
achieving success in our career is measured as the world defines success, then
we set our self up for future disappointment when we begin to experience an
inner emptiness at the end of the road of so called success. It is at this
point we cannot understand why what we wanted and desired has left us feeling so
empty and unfulfilled after we have achieved our goal. At this point we again
go off chasing the next thing that strikes our fancy as we look for fulfillment
and what we believe to be happiness.
God’s plan for all of us includes our faith, family, career,
finances, and ministry.
Failure in faith occurs when one rejects the call of God. This
can be the greatest mistake anyone can make in this life. We are eternal beings
and we will live forever. This life is NOT
the end. Our choice to find and
follow Jesus will result in eternal pleasures forever in the presence of the
very one who made us, loved us, and gave his only Son so that we can be
forgiven and restored to the fellowship with our Creator. However, rejection of this opportunity will result in eternal separation from your
creator and all that is good for all of eternity.
Failure in family occurs when a family member becomes
selfish and is not concerned how his actions and attitudes will affect other
members of the family.
Failure in career occurs when we run ahead of God and do not
consult him and our career choice does not agree with God’s choice for us. We may
have some measure of success but it will never produce the joy that following
God’s choice would bring. I have noticed
that sometimes, when one gives their gifts and talents to God’s service, he
often blesses that person by weaving their gifts and talents into a career.
When people flip this scenario around they choose what they want and then ask
God to bless their choice. This often results in failure.
Failure in finances comes when we mismanage our money and go
in debt. This lifestyle fosters constant worry and stress! When we hold on to
what little we have too tightly, we become selfish. When we refuse to trust God
to be our provider we also sit ourselves up for failure. A lack of gratitude, a
heart that covets, and a spirit of greediness will create a distance between us
and our Lord. These are major bumps in the road that breeds discontentment with
life and can even cause depression.
Failure in ministry occurs when we simply choose not to
serve or we create our own ministry apart from God’s direction. It is important
for Christians to understand that we
will never have a ministry if we are not first of all available to God for his
use. Busy people who hold God at a safe distance have no ministry. People
with excuses have no ministry. People who think they have nothing to offer have
no ministry. God slights no one. We
must dig deep within ourselves to find where our loyalties lie because it may
be here that our ministry is waiting to be discovered. Our thoughts from the
Holy Spirit are designed to ignite desire and point out need. What are the
things in this world that break our hearts? What new ministries would we like
someone else to start? What triggers compassion within us? Answers to these
important questions may be the key to discovering your God blessed ministry.
Maybe you are the one God is calling.
Few people have extremely visible ministries. Most people have
quiet behind the scene ministries that bring just as much glory to God as the
more visible ministries do. This is true because God judges not on what we do
or how much we do, but he judges our simple obedience one task at a time. All
believers must be willing to minister as God chooses. God is the one who will
choose where and when he needs us to use our gifts and talents. Other times God
calls us to step completely out of our comfort zone and serve him. When we fail
to step out in faith this is disobedience. Sometimes I wonder just how many
blessings I have failed to receive by ignoring the voice of God.
If we are to walk a path in this life that succeeds we must consult our
Maker. He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows how he designed
us, why he designed us the way he did, and how he plans to use us. He knows our
strengths and he knows our weaknesses. He knows the number of our days and what
the future holds. Our Maker knows the plans he has for us that will give us
hope and a future.
Even when this fallen world surprises us with poor health, pain,
suffering, loss of a loved one, or we become the brunt of sinful behavior,
abuse, injustice or tragedy, God still has a plan for our life. That plan
includes his love and comfort, inner peace and joy, eternal reward, and
vengeance that belong to him alone. If we will embrace this truth and trust our
Lord, then when we meet Jesus face to face, we will hear him say, “Well done,
my good and faithful servant,” because we have chosen to trust him for all that
enters our life. The steps of a good man
are ordered by the Lord…He makes his steps firm. Psalm 37:23 KJV It is the
Lord that makes our steps firm even when the ground trembles below us. It is
the Lord that directs our going and our coming, our starts and our stops. In
God’s great design for our life he has made plans for our protection, our
comfort, our refinement, and his glory.
The Lord brings specific people and opportunities into our lives.
We must be alert and watch for his gifts. When the plan is long in coming
together, remember that his delays are delays of love and our waiting on the
Lord produces patience. Sometimes we hinder God’s plan by not being obedient to
what he has asked us to do. Often our obedience reveals the next phase of God’s
wonderful plan for our life.
Sometimes in this life we are privileged to witness God’s healing,
restoration, and justice. But if it is God’s will to leave the suffering in
our life I believe he will make it up to us in heaven. I also believe that there is never any disappointment in Jesus.
In this life we often look back and see that his plans were best. But in
eternity we will observe that all his plans were perfect. We will understand
that the flaws God created within us were placed there to accomplish his
purposes and the adversity that he allowed to enter our life he also used for
our good. I am convinced that if we insist on knowing the answers to all the
“whys” in life we will miss out on his joy and peace.
Questions:
- What is the first step in allowing God to direct your life and reveal his plan for your life to you?
- Have you taken the first step? If not, why not do so right now. Tell Jesus that you want to partner with him and follow his lead as you move forward with your life.
- As a believer, what specific area of your life is causing you the most frustration?
- Have you considered that the bump in the road may be the result of you doing things your way instead of God’s way?
- Will you surrender your plans into the Lord’s hands for his direction?
Dear Lord.
In Proverbs 19:21 your word tells
us, “Many are the plans in a man’s heart,
but it is the LORD’S purpose that prevails.” Father, forgive me when I rush
ahead of you. I want to follow the plans you have for my life because I know
that within your guidelines and plans I will find peace, joy, and contentment. “You hem me in – behind and before; you have
laid your hand upon me.” Psalm 139:5 Lord I do not want to be an obstinate
child, who is determine to carry out my
own plans instead of yours. I have experienced that when I pile repeated sin
upon repeated sin there is nothing left but disappointment and failure. “I know, O Lord, that man’s life is not his
own; it is not for man to direct his steps.” Jeremiah 10:23 Father, I pray
that I would willingly surrender my plans into your Sovereign hands. Lord, I
pray that you will direct my steps and lead me down your path because it is the
only path that will give me hope and a future. Father, when my plans go south,
help me to see that disappointment as an opportunity to re-evaluate my position
before you. Am I leading or am I following?
It is in you name I pray. Amen.
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