God's Plan for the Unborn

 Jeremiah 1:5
 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

The announcement of our 2nd grandchild was great news. We were eager to know if it would be a boy or a girl, but we had to wait until the “Gender Reveal” event day. Modern medical advancements have made it possible for parents to know whether their newborn will be a boy or a girl. Many parents choose to wait until the day the baby is born to find out the gender. The miracle of the birth of a newborn baby starts in the mind of God. God, who is all knowing, the creator of heaven, earth, and life, knows the beginning to the end. He is the Alpha and Omega. Before the time of inception, He knew the gender of the unborn baby. The creation of life is a beautiful thing. The Bible is clear that life starts before the baby takes its first breath of air. A baby is born, and God has already made plans for this newborn. The US Supreme Court ruling of Roe Vs Wade, allowing women to choose if they want to take life before the baby is born has caused a divide in our nation. Those who choose to keep life are referred to as Pro-Life, or Anti-abortionists, and those who choose to take life are called Abortionists. They choose to abort the life that God has created within them.  We live in a sad world where taking the life of the unborn is legally allowed and often encouraged by our society. The reasons are justified and often done for reasons of convenience. We realize that there are circumstances that cause us to justify aborting life. The life of the mother sometimes becomes a major factor, and we understand the hard decisions that are made. But God has a plan for each life that He created. He sets apart each life for His purpose, and ordains each life to serve the creator. He who is all knowing will bring to pass that which is good.

The Lord Willing

 James 4:15

Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

 

Planning and making goals is good and is a responsible practice, but life has a way of sometimes breaking up those plans. We don’t control our destiny as much as we like to think we do. The best plan is not to lean on our own understanding, but to acknowledge Him in all that we do. In all our planning for the future, we must be willing to accept change that is bound to happen. I believe that God is pleased when we set goals and aspirations, seeking His will for our lives, but life is so fragile, there is no guarantee that there will be a tomorrow. It is an attitude of submission when we give each day to Him. “If the Lord is willing this day, I plan on doing this or that”.  Accepting change has part of the providence of God. Trust your life to Him for He never changes.

Being Faithful

 John 1:41,42
 He first found his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ...And he brought him to Jesus…

It was not much, but Andrew’s witness to the work of Christ and telling his brother has impacted history. Peter became one of the main influential people in the New Testament Church. Andrew, only mentioned in the Bible as one of the Apostles, and only mentioned in relationship to the other Apostles. Yet, Andrew was faithful to spread the news, and he brought Peter to Jesus. It often appears that we are making very little, if any impact in the world that surrounds us. We are just common people living each day working to put a roof over our head, and provide food at the table. We seek to find meaning in life and what is God’s purpose for our life. We are one in billions of people that look to find answers. God, who knows our every waking and sleeping moment, watches over us and has an individual plan for each one of us. We may be invisible to the world, but God sees us, and He sees that we have been faithful in the little things of life.

The Step of The Lord

Prov. 16:9 A man's heart devises his way: but the Lord directs his steps.

With anticipation, our hearts are set for that special occasion. We have made our plans and we can’t wait. Such is life as we plan out our day or look to the future, until the unexpected happens, something we did not plan. An interruption in our well made plans. We become frustrated that the course of events do not work out the way we hoped. Life happens, and we shack our head. It is in moments like these, that we need to bow our heads commit our ways to the Lord and let Him direct our steps. “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord” Ps 37:23. It is good to make plans and set goals, but ultimately our lives belong to God and He determines the path that is best for us. 

The Bethel Experience

Gen 28:15, 19 …behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest,…

And he called the name of that place Bethel…

Bethel, a place where Jacob experience God’s presence and promises. Running for fear of his life, Jacob came face to face with the God of his fathers. He realized that he could not make things happen on his own. Jacob had a earthly goal, but God had other things in mind. We sometimes think we know what the goal is, but God has something bigger to accomplish. We must come to a place where we are willing to relinquish our dreams and ambitions for God’s will to take place in our lives. The Bethel experience establishes a place where we have committed ourselves to God. His will is now our will, His way is now the way we take. We have seen heaven’s gate and been in the presence of God. With the help of and grace of God, there is no turning back. 

Spiritual Blessings

Eph. 1:3   “ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ...”

Spiritual blessings are given to those who are faithful and put their trust in Christ, They are chosen of God, adopted into the family of God, accepted by Christ, redeemed by His blood, our sins have been forgiven and He has given us wisdom that is not of this world. Spiritual blessings are given for the purpose to fulfill the will of God for each one of our lives. God’s plan for our lives is to glorify Him, to live holy through the blood of Christ. It is only through the Holy Spirit that we are able fulfill this plan. He was the promise of the Father received on the day of Pentecost to endued us with power, cleanse from sin, and to walk a life of holiness (a witness to the world that Christ is alive and lives in our hearts). We are blessed.

God Knows

Roman 8:29 “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son…”-

From the time of creation God in His omniscience knew that we would be born into this world. He knew that sin would also result in tragedy for the human race. Many of the bad things that happen in life are the result of sin. Because man has a free will, bad things will happen. But, not all bad things are the result of sin. The natural force of earth that cause natural disasters will often bring unfortunate events to take place. Lives are lost in earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanos, tornados, etc… These things are seen as “the acts of God” It is in these times that we wonder why God has allowed such tragedy to take place. For what purpose, did God allow a life to be taken from this world? Each life that is born into this world comes with a blueprint from the hand of God. The blueprint is design to fit all of us into His great plan. In our finite mind and understanding, we are not able to grasp the purpose of this plan. The purpose of God is that all men may come to the knowledge of His saving grace. He desires that we all be comforted to the image of Christ. The things that happen in life are ultimately for this reason. When we look around us and see the effects of sin and the suffering of those around us, we must believe that God is in control and will bring about His plan for this world and for our lives. I don’t claim to understand it all, but this one thing I know. God is good and His ways are beyond my ways. I choose to trust Him, even in the storm.