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 a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
Have you ever considered that the Creator of the universe has a plan for your life? That He has dreams and hopes for you? It's true. Just as surely as we have dreams and hopes for our children, He has dreams and hopes for us- His children. Just as surely as we desire to bless our children, He desires to bless us. In the midst of our despair, God longs to give us hope. He holds it in His hand and He extends it towards us. It's ours for the taking. But, you say, I've drifted away from God. Okay. You're not the first and, probably, won't be the last. But your Father is standing, waiting for your return. He stands on a mountain top, diligently searching the horizon for you. I promise, if you take one step toward Him, He'll run toward you. Once again, the door is open for His blessings to flow in our life. And don't think His plans for you have changed because you've made some bad choices. Romans 11:29 tells us "...God's gifts and His call are irrevocable". From before the foundation of the world, God knew all about you. Right choices. Wrong choices. Everything. And then He crafted a plan for your life- a future for you- and breathed life into you. Throughout our lives we're faced with having to make choices. Making mistakes doesn't cancel God's plans for us and they don't cause us to loose the gifts He's given us. "Irrevocable." I like that. It tells me that God has grace for my humanness. It tells me that mistakes are expected and are part of my learning to hear His voice more clearly and reflect Him better. That I have a hope and a future in Him and that He'll never give up on me. I suppose that since He never gives up on me, I shouldn't give up on me, either. The same thing goes for you. He's not about to give up on you- you're His creation and you take His breath away. Spend some time with your Father and let Him tell you how much He loves you and what wonderful plans He has for you. It'll be the best time you ever spent.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Monday, August 18, 2008
Willing Heart
...I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. Isaiah 6:8
Not all of us are called to deliver such dramatic messages as Isaiah spoke, yet all of us have the potential to do great things for the Kingdom. All of us have within us the desire to leave a mark on the world and that desire has been placed there by our Heavenly Father. His desire is for you. His desire is to see you do great and mighty exploits for His kingdom. His desire is to see His children, ALL of His children, do something BIG.
So you're not a Rhodes Scholar? Neither was King David. (In his day, having a 'sheep skin' meant something a little different.) Not a great orator? Moses had the same problem. Have something of a 'colorful' past? Consider Rahab, the prostitute. Not only did she make it into the lineage of Jesus, but she was the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth, giving us one of the most beautiful love stories in history. The list of people with problems, limitations, and less than stellar reputations goes on and on, but they all had one thing in common- a heart for God.
"Yeah, but you don't know what I've done" you say. Doesn't matter. I doubt very seriously that you've done anything all that bad and, even if you have, if you've given your life to Jesus, it's all under the blood- nailed to the cross. And no matter what the devil tries to tell you, your sin isn't bigger than God's love or His forgiveness. So stop listening to the enemy of your soul- he's just a lying scoundrel, anyway.
We all make mistakes. We all make the wrong choice, from time to time, but be encouraged. Just because we have less than perfect pasts or less than perfect lives doesn't mean we can't be used for the Kingdom. It doesn't mean that God has withdrawn His offer of a life of excellence for Him. "For God's gifts and calling are irrevocable." (Romans 11:19) What? Irrevocable. He'll never take them away.
It's been said that God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. It's true. What's He looking for? A willing heart. Someone who, instead of saying, "Why me?" says "Why not me?" He needs your hands and your heart. He needs someone to say, like Isaiah, "Here am I; send me." It doesn't, necessarily, mean that he'll send you to Mozambique. It may mean that He sends you to the grocery store, where you'll meet someone He wants to love on. It may mean that He asks you to do something as dramatic as putting a band aid on a neighborhood child's knee. It's amazing how such simple things can touch someone's life and, when we're faithful in the little things, God will promote us to bigger things (Matt 26:23).
Be His heart and His hands. Let Him love through you. Be Jesus with skin on for someone. Put yourself out there for a lost and hurting world. Sure it's risky, but when you see someone touched by the love of God that you've allowed to flow through you, you realize just how 'worth it' it is.
God has so many promises for you. He wants to bless you with a life that will echo for generations. Interested? I promise, if you'll step off the diving board, He'll make sure there's water in the pool. Someone once told me they'd heard Kathryn Kuhlman say her ministry was, originally, intended for a man, but he'd told God no, so He gave it to her. How sad for the man that said no to God.
What about you? Ready to say yes? Then pray this prayer:
Father, I come to you now, giving You all. Take my hands, take my heart, take my life. I choose to say yes to all You have for me. Lead me, guide me, teach me. Use me, Father, to impact Your Kingdom and to make a difference in the lives of all You send my way. I ask for You to open my ears to hear Your voice more clearly and to open my eyes to see the path You have laid out before me. Here I am, Lord. Send me. Amen
God will absolutely take you at your word and all I can say is- Welcome to an amazing life!
Not all of us are called to deliver such dramatic messages as Isaiah spoke, yet all of us have the potential to do great things for the Kingdom. All of us have within us the desire to leave a mark on the world and that desire has been placed there by our Heavenly Father. His desire is for you. His desire is to see you do great and mighty exploits for His kingdom. His desire is to see His children, ALL of His children, do something BIG.
So you're not a Rhodes Scholar? Neither was King David. (In his day, having a 'sheep skin' meant something a little different.) Not a great orator? Moses had the same problem. Have something of a 'colorful' past? Consider Rahab, the prostitute. Not only did she make it into the lineage of Jesus, but she was the mother of Boaz, who married Ruth, giving us one of the most beautiful love stories in history. The list of people with problems, limitations, and less than stellar reputations goes on and on, but they all had one thing in common- a heart for God.
"Yeah, but you don't know what I've done" you say. Doesn't matter. I doubt very seriously that you've done anything all that bad and, even if you have, if you've given your life to Jesus, it's all under the blood- nailed to the cross. And no matter what the devil tries to tell you, your sin isn't bigger than God's love or His forgiveness. So stop listening to the enemy of your soul- he's just a lying scoundrel, anyway.
We all make mistakes. We all make the wrong choice, from time to time, but be encouraged. Just because we have less than perfect pasts or less than perfect lives doesn't mean we can't be used for the Kingdom. It doesn't mean that God has withdrawn His offer of a life of excellence for Him. "For God's gifts and calling are irrevocable." (Romans 11:19) What? Irrevocable. He'll never take them away.
It's been said that God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. It's true. What's He looking for? A willing heart. Someone who, instead of saying, "Why me?" says "Why not me?" He needs your hands and your heart. He needs someone to say, like Isaiah, "Here am I; send me." It doesn't, necessarily, mean that he'll send you to Mozambique. It may mean that He sends you to the grocery store, where you'll meet someone He wants to love on. It may mean that He asks you to do something as dramatic as putting a band aid on a neighborhood child's knee. It's amazing how such simple things can touch someone's life and, when we're faithful in the little things, God will promote us to bigger things (Matt 26:23).
Be His heart and His hands. Let Him love through you. Be Jesus with skin on for someone. Put yourself out there for a lost and hurting world. Sure it's risky, but when you see someone touched by the love of God that you've allowed to flow through you, you realize just how 'worth it' it is.
God has so many promises for you. He wants to bless you with a life that will echo for generations. Interested? I promise, if you'll step off the diving board, He'll make sure there's water in the pool. Someone once told me they'd heard Kathryn Kuhlman say her ministry was, originally, intended for a man, but he'd told God no, so He gave it to her. How sad for the man that said no to God.
What about you? Ready to say yes? Then pray this prayer:
Father, I come to you now, giving You all. Take my hands, take my heart, take my life. I choose to say yes to all You have for me. Lead me, guide me, teach me. Use me, Father, to impact Your Kingdom and to make a difference in the lives of all You send my way. I ask for You to open my ears to hear Your voice more clearly and to open my eyes to see the path You have laid out before me. Here I am, Lord. Send me. Amen
God will absolutely take you at your word and all I can say is- Welcome to an amazing life!
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