God’s will accomplish His plan…

 

When puzzled by what is happening around me, or in the lives of others, I need to remember the important truth behind all of God’s dealings with us. Nothing is random. Nothing escapes His notice and nothing can thwart His purposes. The worst I can do is prolong His goal for me. The best I can do is see it and cooperate with it.

This is HIs goal:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:1–3)

The end result of what happens to me and to all God’s people is that we will be like Jesus. The process can be hastened by cooperation, by making that my goal also. But I cannot fake it, put on a show of having arrived, or even think that is true. I need to keep growing and changing.

I also have to remember that this isn’t just about me. It is about the witness of God’s people to a world that needs to know Him.

Today’s reading begins with: “All the dealings of God with the soul of the believer are in order to bring it into oneness with himself that the prayer of our Lord may be fulfilled.” In this prayer Jesus asks that the Father works:

“That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:21–23)

This glorious purpose has been the heart of God for His people from before the foundation of the world. It is called a mystery yet was accomplished in the death of Christ and made known by the Scriptures. It is also an actual experience by many of God’s people, but not all. This goal is not hidden it nor is it impossible. However, as the reading says, the eyes of many are too dim and their hearts too unbelieving for them to grasp it.

This goal is behind many events in life as the Lord works to open eyes and shake up how we think and live. He wants me to realize my sin, my weakness, all areas of resistance to Him so I will think and act more like the One who lives in me and desires my perfection.

Everything in my life is supposed to lead to union with Christ and this amazing transformation that reflects His image to an unbelieving and needy world. When something happens that upsets my hopes and plans, trying to fix it instead of letting it do what God intends only slows the process. If I resist and keep on resisting Him, the change will eventually happen but too late to have value in this world. Not only that, I will not experience the rest and peace that He died to give me, His abundant life in this life.

PRAY: Jesus, I realize that many Christians are not into this kind of radical surrender. Sometimes they pray as if You are a genie in a bottle giving wishes out for comfort and prosperity and all good, but temporary things. Forgive us for wanting You to be our servant instead of surrendering ourselves to Your purposes. How often do I need “your peace in my storms” to realize that being like You IS the abundant life You want for me.

The most worthy goal

This week we received a video of a couple in their nineties dancing — fast jive with dips and twirls — for over two minutes. Inspiring, yes. A goal I want to set, not likely. If I were a few dozen years younger, I might. Dancing like that isn’t something to start now, with a pacemaker. It is good to have goals though.

Right now, I have a few. Declutter and simplify our home. Keep cooking interesting recipes. Exercise daily. Use up as much of my fabric stash as I can. Keep in touch with family, especially grandchildren. Pray often for all things. At the top of this ‘list’ is grow in faith and become more like Jesus.

Today’s devotional is about that goal. It begins by saying that truth about Christ should fill my heart, but more than that — Christ Himself must fill my heart — and it totally belongs to Him.

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14–19)

Reading Jesus words make this seem impossible: “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48) This means spiritual maturity, being like Jesus using  all things to accomplish that purpose:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28–29)

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. (Hebrews 13:20–21)

Unlike dancing or my other goals, this one can be accomplished only by the power of Christ. Becoming like Him is by His working in me, not by me working on myself. When it seems that this purpose of God will never happen, I must remember that God is not done with me yet.

Also, when I groan with my slow progress, so does the whole world.

For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:19–23)

Yet the deliverance and fullness of God’s goal will come. And this promise is my hope and assurance:

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:2–3)

PRAY: God, perfection seems impossible, yet You have the power to transform me and that perfection will come, and sooner rather than later as I get closer to the end of life here. In the meantime, I take all other goals to You in prayer and marvel at how You help me with progress in them. The assurance that spiritual perfection will also be mine gives me the encouragement and even the energy to keep at all that You have given me to do and more.

Life Goals

My high school teacher advised me to make a choice. He knew that I had many interests and God-given abilities. He said, “You need to decide if you want to know a lot about one thing and very little about everything else — or to know a little bit about everything and be an expert in nothing.”

Throughout life, I’ve wavered. I wanted to know a lot about everything — an unattainable goal. So also is the goal to know a great deal about one thing, although this is the choice of many. Being interested in much has scattered my attention and left me with that ‘pillar to post’ sense of never being able to focus on anything.

However, God has finally got it through my head that skills, interests, fields of endeavor, careers, and so on will not last. I painted only to find that even artists live in a cut-throat realm. I’ve taken many other routes and found them to be distractions rather than a way that meant something.

Initially the Bible pointed me in the right direction with verses like these, yet it has taken years to get in step with the choice God had for me . . .

“Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” (Genesis 5:23–24)

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:28–29)

“I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14)

Enoch had the goal. He walked with God, not contrary to God, not his own way, not the way others thought he should go. The verses from Genesis indicate that his walk went from earth to eternity without death being a big deal. He was already hand in hand with God.

As a new Christian, God blessed me with the goal from Romans; be like Jesus. Let all things carve and shape me to that end. However, my activities seemed separate from that choice. Did I want to be an artist? A writer? So many routes I could take. Where do I focus? It took a long time to realize that I’d already been given the focus. Occupations, career choices, etc. were incidental.

The third passage, Philippians 3:14, seemed too vague. What does “the prize of the upward call” mean? Will I know when I have it? Yet this is it, something more purposeful than any other decision, choice, occupation. Seek His face. Determine to reflect it. become more like Jesus. make that the primary goal of life and everything else falls into place. First is first. Second, third, fourth are not really the issue. Delight in God and He helps me sort it out. Trying to sort it out without putting Him on the throne of my heart is futile.

^^^^^^^^^^

Jesus, You are the prize. Seeking You is the main thing, the only thing that lasts forever. The rest of it is fluff, temporary, prone to fire, rot and rust or to be stolen. Nothing else matters. Only You are worthy. Only You are eternal.