Did you know that God has a plan, a purpose for your life?
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).
Yes, it is true. God has a great plan, a purpose for your life. God wants you to succeed and not fail. You were not created to fail, no matter what has happened in your past or what it appears like now. God’s plan has always been for good, meant to prosper you, a plan to give you hope and to give you a future. His plan never included evil that was meant to harm you. How awesome is that! Did you know that you are called and set apart for a heavenly purpose?
“But you are not like that, for you have been chosen by God himself—you are priests of the King, you are holy and pure, you are God’s very own—all this so that you may show to others how God called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were less than nothing; now you are God’s own. Once you knew very little of God’s kindness; now your very lives have been changed by it” (I Peter 2:9-10 TLB).
According to scripture, this is one thing that we can be sure of, “God has set us apart the godly for himself” (Psalm 4:2 NLT). Once we were separated from God, a creation that was living in total darkness. But now, because of what Jesus Christ has done for us and because of God’s unmerited grace, we have been called out of the darkness and into his marvelous light. And because we have answered the call, we are now set apart to show others how to answer that same call, to bring them out of the darkness and into God’s wonderful light, something that can change their life.
“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them” (Romans 8:28 NLT).
This we know and are very conscious of that our God will cause everything, all things both good and bad, to work together for good to those who have love for him. However, please do not misunderstand what this is saying as many believers have done. Though the scripture goes on to say that these things also work together for good to who are “called according to his purpose for them,” you must first answer the call for things to work for good. God has not called forth certain individuals as many “predestination messages” try to claim (Romans 8:29-30). The call has been issued to everyone, no one left out, no one omitted, “For there is no respect of persons with God” (Romans 2:11). This means that God treats everyone the same, giving all the same opportunity to answer the call, which is evident in John 3:16, where it clearly states that “God so love the world.” Please note that God did not specifically name a single person or a group of people. God actually made available, to all mankind, a way for him or her to be saved and to receive salvation, but you must answer the call.
“For from the very beginning God decided that those who came to him—and all along he knew who would—should become like his Son, so that his Son would be the First, with many brothers. And having chosen us, he called us to come to him; and when we came, he declared us ‘not guilty,’ filled us with Christ’s goodness, gave us right standing with himself, and promised us his glory” (Romans 8:29-30 TLB)?
What God “knew beforehand” was those who would answer the call. What he “predestined or prearranged” was the fact that those who chose to answer the call, would be conformed to the “image or nature” of Jesus, much like he “predestined or prearranged” that we would conformed to the “image or nature” of Adam, in the beginning. Just like in Adam, all were “made sinners and fill with an evil sinful nature” (Romans 5:19), it would be in Jesus that all would have the opportunity to be “made righteous, to be declared not guilty, to be filled with the goodness of Christ, and to have right standing with God” (Romans 8:30).
So you see, God has a great plan and purpose for your life. Knowing your purpose will give meaning to your life. However, you have to answer his call and come from the darkness and into his marvelous and wonderful light. There is nothing else that matters more than knowing and following God’s plan and purpose for your life. Trust God because he has declared that he knows the plans he has for you; plans to prosper you and not hurt or harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.
As always, we pray that today’s inspirational message will abundantly bless you, greatly inform you, and that you will be the better for having read it. If blessed by this message, please share so that others may be blessed as well. Amen.
Enjoy your blessings - KW
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