God’s Loving Plan for You
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
Do you know what God has planned for your life? Maybe you’ve never thought much about God, and don’t even know what questions to ask. The Bible (Scripture) is God’s word, written by men acting under the inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit. The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:8 that “God is love,” and the purpose of the Bible is to reveal the character of God and the love and blessings that he has for us. The Bible reveals how God forgives us of our sins, changes us to be the people we were created to be, and equips us to live full lives. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full (John 10:10). Everything in the Bible reveals God’s plan for our lives. God desires for us to be a part of his family on earth and forever in heaven, living in his perfect love.
But we have a serious problem that separates us from God. That problem is sin. God created us to live in perfect love and harmony with him. However, the first humans, Adam and Eve, rebelled against God in an attempt to be his equal. This sin separated Adam and Eve and all their descendants (including us) from God. There is nothing we, ourselves, can do to fix this situation, but unless we get it fixed we will be separated from God for all eternity. This eternal separation is otherwise referred to in the Bible as Hell. Thankfully, God loves us so much that He sent his only son, Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins and reconcile us to himself. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him (John 3:16-17).
The blessings from God begin when we accept his Son, Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Savior and allow him to fill our souls with Himself. He sends the Holy Spirit to live within us, filling us with his love, peace, and joy. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). This fruit is a summary of God’s character which remains in us forever, meaning that we can have his love, peace, and joy continuously available to us. The longer we walk with Christ, the stronger will be the love, peace, and joy that fills our souls.
When you accept Christ as your Savior, your sins are forgiven and you are reconciled to God. You are then predestined to be molded to the mind of Christ. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2). God’s good, pleasing, and perfect will, consists of taking away anger, fear, worry, and guilt, and replacing it with his love, peace, joy, security, confidence, and self worth that comes from Christ. But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light (1 Peter 2:9). We are the Lord’s special possession, and our self-worth comes from Him. No one can challenge this because it comes from God. We have no need to prove ourselves to anyone because we know who we are in Christ.
If we don’t know the Lord then our understanding of him will come from Satan’s lies. …when he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). Some of these lies include the misconception that the Bible is just a book of rules; the thought that if I serve the Lord I will lose my freedom; and the idea that a life serving the Lord is unfulfilling. All of these are lies from Satan. When we study the Bible we find the truth about God and we learn of His plans for us to live rewarding lives.
For fifty-nine years I did not know the Lord. I lived according to the pattern of the world enjoying a professional career with international travel, houses, cars, and vacations. All of these things the world leads us to believe will keep us contented and satisfied. However, at the age of fifty-nine it all became meaningless! I was bored, angry, self-centered, and the world had nothing that could fix what was broken within me. One November night I decided to turn my life over to God, and I was determined that nothing or no one was going to stop me. Today, fifteen years later, I am no longer bored and no longer angry, but instead am contented and satisfied. God fixed the broken me and filled my soul with his Spirit. Every day is more fulfilling and enjoyable than any day in the past, because every day has divine meaning and purpose. Through the eyes and heart of God, I have learned to truly enjoy life more than I could have ever imagined.
My story can be your story, if you are willing to trust God and receive life to the full. By accepting Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your sins are forgiven, you are reconciled to God, and you truly become a new creation who will have eternal life with Him.
Let’s Pray: Lord, help me to know the truth and to not live in any preconceived ideas from Satan. Reveal yourself to me through your Word. Allow me to know your plan for my life, both in this world and for eternity. In Jesus’ name, Amen.