Wednesday, February 1, 2017

Have you noticed how fulfilled your life is when you are doing what I have planned for you?

Proverbs 16:9

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

The Joy in His Will

There are fewer things that I have had more joy in doing than what I know to be the will of God. Everything that’s clear about His will that is found in Scripture He has planned for us to do. If we know His will, we know His plans for us. One example is that we are to share the Gospel with the lost (Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8) and to glorify God in all we do, living a righteous life (Philippians 1:11), including what we eat, drink, or whatever it is we do (1 Corinthians 10:31). There is true joy in fulfilling God’s plan for your life. Joy is not anything like happiness, which is temporary and based on happenings. But joy is permanent, remains forever, and is multiplied in the life of a believer when he or she is fulfilling God’s plan for his or her life.

Making God’s Plans Yours

We may think we have plans, but the Bible says that even though the plans of the heart belong to us, it is God Who answers all things in our lives (Proverbs 16:1). Even a pagan king’s heart is controlled by God’s sovereign will, whether he knows it or not (Proverbs 21:1). The key is that we can have a more fulfilled life when we are doing what God has planned for us. We can know His plan for us if we know His Word, for His will is revealed in the Word of God. We can plan our own way, but it is truly God Who establishes our every step (Proverbs 16:9), so we should strive to have our steps in sync with God’s plan for our lives.

A Fulfilled Life Is Fulfilled in His Plan

The plans of those who are diligent, especially those who diligently seek God, will lead to an abundant life (Proverbs 21:5), but those who make haste, make waste. Life is so much more fulfilling when we are fulfilling God’s plan for our lives. Isn’t that a worthwhile goal? If you’ve been in God’s will before and you were doing what He planned for you to do, have you noticed how fulfilled your life was when you were doing this? We have a lot of plans in our lives, but only the Lord’s purpose will stand in the end (Proverbs 19:21). So why not strive to do what God’s plan is for your life, whatever that may be; if you do, you can have a more fulfilling life in Christ.

A Closing Prayer

God, I know that You have plans for me just as You did for Israel (Jeremiah 20:9), but all too often I put my own plans ahead of Yours. Please forgive me for that and the idolatry of my heart in making my plans more important than Yours, and in Jesus’ great name I pray.

Amen

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