11-Why God has a plan for you
"No plan of yours can be thwarted." - Job 42;2
“Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.” Luke 1:30-31
The elderly native woman’s eyes brightened in pleasant surprise as Donald Johnson entered the living room of her small home. She is like Donald’s grandmother, and at 99 years of age, her eyes are remarkably clear and her memory as sharp as ever!
During most of those years, she had been a faithful Christian, who had prayed for her community on a regular basis.
With a twinkle in her eye, she said to me, “Owiktos, I pray that God will take me home soon.” “But,” she said with a chuckle, “I guess He must have a deaf ear.
At the time Donald smiled at her sense of humor, while marveling at the grace with which she handled increasing age. She was hard of hearing, had recently broken her hip, and her feeble hands could no longer make the cedar baskets for which she was so well known. Yet, she accepted all of these things as part of God’s plan.
This past summer at the age of 101, God called her home. She had finished her work.
Her life of faithful resignation is a reminder to me of the faith of Mary, who, once the initial shock of Gabriel’s amazing announcement wore off, accepted God’s assignment. “I am the Lord’s servant. May it happen to me as you have said.”
It tales faith to trust God when the circumstances of life take a surprising turn. But every time God asks something important of us, He not only provides us grace to carry out the task, He also enlarges our witness and determines the length of our sojourn on earth.
Dear Heavenly Father, by your grace we offer ourselves to you as willing servants. Help us to be faithful to you in every circumstance that we might be witnesses of your power, grace and goodness.
They tell us that the Bible is the Word of God - a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path. They tell us that we shall find in it the knowledge of God, and of his will for our lives. We believe them rightly, for what they say is true. So we take our Bibles and start to read them. We are in earnest; we really do want to know God. But as we read, we get more and more puzzled. Our reading is not helping us; it leaves us confused and, depressed. We find our selves wondering whether Bible-reading is worth going on with.
We work at being a Christian; we really do want to know God. But as we work, we get more and more frustrated. Our Bible reading is not feeding and helping us; it leaves us bewildered and depressed.
What is the trouble. Our Bible reading takes us into a new world - the eastern world as it was two thousand years ago. I all belongs to that world not to this world.
The link is God Himself, the same God who provided the word. God does not change.
He blesses those on whom He sets His love in a way that humbles them, so that all the glory may be His alone. He uses all kinds of inward and outward pains and grief to wean their hearts from compromise and disobedience. Still He seeks the fellowship of His children, and sends them both sorrows and joys in order to detach their love from other things and attach it to Himself. Still He teaches the believer to value His promised gifts by making Him wait for them.
let us remember at this point that what we are talking about is fellowship, not the wiping out of our personality. What dies is the god-right we have assumed. What lives is the basic person God created, set marvelously free in fellowship with God.
How slow are we to believe in God as God sovereign, all-seeing and almighty! How little we make of the majesty of our Lord. The need for us is to wait upon the Lord and his control.
God has freely given us a number of tools or steps to use in our training. These include the Bible, prayer, and his presence. When these tools are used appropriately, they enable us to grow within the plan.
(Proverbs 12:15)
"The way of a fool is right in his own eyes but a wise man listens to advice."
Solomon gave instruction about life. He contrasted good with evil, wisdom with foolishness, and labor with laziness. Do right and you will succeed. Wickedness leads to failure and death. Foolishness and laziness lead to ruin.
You want success? Here's your model. You want achievement? Here's your prototype. You want bright lights, pageants and media attention? Consider the frontpage, center article of the nation's largest daily newspaper.
It is a caricature of "Miss America." The vital data of the fifty-one participants has been compiled to present the perfect woman. She has brown hair. She has brown eyes. She knows how to sing and has a perfect figure: 35-24-35. She is Miss America.
The message trumpets off the page: "This is the standaard for American woman." The implication is clear: Do what it takes to be like her. Firm your thighs. Deepen your cleavage. pamper your hair. Improve your walk.
No reference is made to her convictions... to her honesty... to her... faith... or to her God. But you are told her hip size.
In a small photo, four inches to the left is another woman. Her face is thin. Her skin is wrinkled, almost leathery. No makeup... no blush... no lipstick. There is a faint smile on her lips and a glint in her eyes. She looks pale. Perhaps it's my imagination or perhaps it's time. The caption read, "Mother Teresa: In serious condition."
Mother Teresa. You know her story. When she won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985, she gave the two hundred thousand dollars to the poor of Calcutta. When a business man bought her a new car, she sold it and gave the money to the underprivileged. She owns nothing. She owes nothing.
Two women: Miss America and Mother Teresa. One walks the boardwalk; the other walks the alley. Two voices. One promises crowns, flowers, and crowds. The other promises service, surrender, and joy.
Now I have nothing against beauty pageants (although I have my reservations about them). But I do have something against the lying voices that noise our world.
You've heard them. They tell you to swap your integrity for a new sale. To barter your convictions for an easy deal. To exchange your devotion for a quick thrill.
They whisper. They woo. They taunt. They tantalize. They flirt. They flatter. "Go ahead, its O.K." "Just wait until tomorrow." "Don't worry, no one will know." "How could anything that feels so right be so wrong?"...
For amidst the fleeting promises of pleasure is the timeless promise of (God's) presence.
"Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'"
There is no chorus so loud that the voice of God cannot be heard... if we will but listen.
(From In the Eye of the Storm by max Lucado)
What matters to you: looks or love, your job or service to God, wealth or sacrifice? Pattern your life after wise, spiritual, and devoted workers.
In this plan-program; we will explore how to use these tools effectively and appropriately. We will gain a new and deeper understanding of our membership in "God's family."
Faith is a degree, the most advanced of degrees, that one earns after unlocking the secrets of the universe.
Can you recall experiences in which you "planted and watered" and God gave the growth? How did you plant and water?
(Proverbs 2:9-12)
"If you listen to me, you will know what is right, just, and fair. You will know what you should do. You will become wise, and your knowledge will give you pleasure. Your insight and understanding will protect you and prevent you from doing the wrong things."
Solomon warned his readers to heed God's word. He exhorted them to learn about God, who would help them to choose the right path. Rebelling against God's wisdom leads to immorality and spiritual death. God's wisdom keeps us from living an immoral and defeated life.
The secret is making the right choices. Here's what I mean. In the light of truth, youu and I are able to see both truth and lie, both light and darkness - that which is simple, pure, and clear and that which is deceptive. But enslaved to darkness and plunged into the pit of the lie, we no longer see the truth. We have no other option but to believe the lie. We become victimized in our addiction - in "sin's foul bondage."
The secret, of course, is making the right choices every day. So? Watch those choices! Watch your decisions!...
We need to keep asking ourselves, Does this honor the Savior? Does this exalt my Lord? Does this bring glory to His name? Does this lift Him up? How powerful is our focus!...
Once you decide to trust God in simple faith and allow Him complete freedom to carry out His plan and purpose in you as well as through you, you need only relax and count on Him to take care of things you once tried to keep under control.
(From Simple Faith by Charles Swindoll)
As you read the Bible this week, select a Proverb each day that will help you make wise decisions. Make a list of these Proverbs. Carry the list with you so you can remind yourself to use this wisdom.
How's your search for wisdom coming along? What is the source and benefits?
Human existence is oriented to the Glory of God. (Romans 8:19-23)
"Even someone who does not think that God exists could at least agree with the hypothesis that if God existed, a fundamental solution to the problem of human existence would be provided. God would be seen as the ultimate reason for all that is, as reality's ultimate support, ultimate goal, and ultimate core. Threats of death, meaninglessness, rejection and nothingness would be overcome.
"Even when all the goods of health, education, security, and weather in our possession, we still hunger to know who we are. And we infer from this hunger... (In discovering one's own identity, one discovers God" Catholicism- Richard P. McBrien).
Belief in God answers more questions about life and it's meanings and purpose than does unbelief. Are you wise in your own eyes - arrogant in your own knowledge or do you seek the truth in childlike faith - humbly open to receive the truth of God's Word; realizing that only God holds all the answers?
(Matthew 11: 25-26)
At that time Jesus said, "Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you because you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned. Yes, father, this was how you were pleased to have it happen."
How are you like the "wise and learned"? Like the "little children?"
It is important to have an open mind, to god's guidance. We win through a true knowledge of God when we recognize that the training program he has prepared for us is one of his own making. We as his children find peace of mind and spirit in a humble acceptance of our proper place in the scheme of things; as a child being trained for his family in heaven. Like a loving parent, God teaches and directs us. We should listen to him because peace and righteousness come to us as we obey his Word.
(Isaiah 48:17)
"I am the Lord your God, the one who wants to teach you for your own good and direct you in the way you should go."
Think of self-control as a wall for defense and protection. An out-of-control life is open to all sorts of enemy attack.
When we are yielded to God and His will, we are filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit controls and dominates us. Now we are to act on that truth and walk or live with full assurance that God has already filled us, and we are under His control....
Personally, I find it helpful to begin each day silently committing that day into God's hands. I thank Him that He knows what the day holds for me. I ask Him to take my life that day and use it for His glory. I ask him to cleanse me from anything which would hinder His work in my life. And then I step out in faith, knowing that His Holy Spirit is filing me continually as I trust in Him and obey His Word. Sometimes during the day I may not be aware of His presence; sometimes I am. But at the end of the day, I can look back and thank Him, because I see His hand at work. He promised to be with me that day - and He has been!
(From The Holy Spirit by Billy Graham)
Does your family name give you confidence? Can you rely on your upstanding church? Does your house make you feel secure? All securities in this life will fail. Trust completely in God. Let him be your unfailing security.
(Proverbs 25:28)
"A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls."
Learning to control the tongue is an important step in self-control.
The tongue - what a study in contrasts! To the physician it's merely a two-ounce slab of mucous membrane enclosing a complex array of muscles and nerves that enable our bodies to chew, taste, and swallow. How helpful! Equally significant, it is the major organ of communication that enables us to articulate distinct sounds so we can understand each other. How essential!
... But the tongue is as volatile as it is vital. It was Washington Irving who first said, "A sharp tongue is the only edge tool that grows keener with constant use." It was James, the half brother of Jesus, who first warned:
The tongue is a fire... a restless evil and full of deadly poison (James 3:6, 8).
Verbal cyanide. A lethal, relentless, flaming missile which assaults with hellish power, blistering and destroying at will.
And yet it doesn't look anything like the brutal beast it is. Neatly hidden behind ivory palace gates, movements are an intriguing study of coordination. It can curl itself either into a cheery whistle or manipulate a lazy, afternoon yawn. With no difficulty it can flick a husk of popcorn from between two jaw teeth or hold a thermometer just so. And it is tricky! It can help you enjoy the flavor ofa stick of peppermint as it switches from side to side without once getting nipped. Moments later it can follow the directions of a trumpeter, allowing him to play "Flight of the Bumble Bee" without a single miscue.
But watch out! Let your thumb get smashed with a hammer or your toe get clobbered on a chair and that slippery creature in your mouth will suddenly play the flip side of its nature.
Not only is the tongue untamed, it's untamable! Meaning what? Meaning as long as you live it will never gain control of itself. It defies being tamed. Incredible! We can tame Flipper and Trigger and Shamu and Lassie... but the tongue? Impossible to train
...It takes... a tight conscious muzzle on the muscle in your mouth. Harnessing such a wily creature requires a determined mindset.... It's a project you've put off long enough.
(From Growing Old in the Seasons of Life by Charles Swindoll)
Have words ever popped out of your mouth before you thought about them? Think before you respond. Never just blurt out an answer. Don't insult someone or carelessly criticize. Never be sarcastic, and be careful how you tease.
What will you do to regain self-control?
Each family on earth as well as each school has it own methods and rules. Each religion and church has its own set of rules or methods. These methods and rules provide guidance toward the ultimate goals of growth.
(Paul and Thecla 1:19-20)
"Blessed are they who pursue the wisdom (or doctrine) of Jesus Christ; for they shall be called the sons of the Most high.
"Blessed are they who observe the instructions of Jesus Christ; for they shall dwell in eternal light."
God gives us wisdom and victory but not for drifting through life or acting irresponsible with his gifts and resources. If we keep our purpose in life clearly in mind, he will keep us from pride and greed.
(Proverbs 2:1-8)
"Son, learn what I teach you and never forget what I tell you to do. Listen to what is wise and try to understand it. Yes, beg for knowledge; as you would for silver or some hidden treasure. If you do, you will know what it means to fear the Lord and you will succeed in learning about God. It is the Lord who gives wisdom; from him come knowledge and understanding. He provides help and protection for righteous, honest men. He protects those who treat others fairly, and guards those who are devoted to him."
Is the path of your life taking you where you've always dreamed of going?
And in this world: "God shapes man like a potter" (Gen. 2:7). he shapes man through his guidance and rules. When we recognize who God is and who we are, we will fall at his feet in humble respect. Only then will he show us how to choose his way.
(Psalms 25:8-12)
"Because the Lord is righteous and good he teaches sinners the path they should follow. He leads the humble in the right way and teaches them his will.
"With faithfulness and love he leads all who keep his covenant and obey his commands.
"Keep your promises Lord, and forgive my sins; for they are many. Those who obey the Lord will learn from him the path they should follow."
(Deut. 5:1-4) Implication is made that the revelations of God are timeless and that his words, whenever they were spoken, are addressed to us here and now.
In Deut. we learn that his word is available to us, and in John we learn that through his Spirit and Word we will find some of our help.
What words describe your presence at the point of need?
(Psalms 27:11)
"Teach me, Lord, what you want me to do, and lead me along a safe path."
In earth's schools you have teachers, textbooks, school buildings, classes, pep rallies, etc.
(Psalms 26:1-3)
"Declare me innocent, O Lord, because I do what is right and trust you completely. Examine me and test me, Lord; judge my desires and thoughts. Your constant love is my guide; your faithfulness always leads me."
Given a "sincerity scale of 1 to 10, how would you score on the Lord's test? Why?
We see in God's program, we have God's love, examining, tests and faithfulness. In heaven's training we have ministers, the Bible and other religious books, services, evangilization rallies, etc.
"It must not be allowed to obscure the fact that Jesus was indeed a teacher. This was a title, in fact, given him more frequently than any other. He was regarded as a teacher (Matthew 10:24; Luke 20:21; John 3:2). He gathered a group of disciples and acted as their rabbi, or teacher (Matthew 8:18-22; 31:1-11; 26:17-19; Mark 4:35-41; 11:1-11; e.g.). He is asked the type of questions a teacher would be asked (Matthew 4:23; 9:35; 13:54; Mark 6:2; Luke 4:15, 31; 6:6). He taught "with power" and as one having authority (Matthew 7:29; Mark 1:22; 11:18). His teaching is that of the one who sent him (john 7:16) and Jesus teaches whatever he himself was taught by the Father (John 8:28).
"Not surprisingly, the early Church continued the ministry of teaching in fidelity to its charge from the Lord. Teachers appeared among the lists of officers in the Church (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11) and teaching is regarded as part of the office of Apostles (1 Timothy 2:7; 2 Timothy 3:10) and of the bishop (2 Timothy 4:2). With the death of the last of the Apostles the Church was particularly concerned that the apostolic traditions be preserved and that whatever was taught should be "sound doctrine" (1 Timothy 1:10; 2 Timothy 4:3; Titus 1:9, 2:1). Ultimately, the object of the Church's teaching; the Kingdom of God (Mark 1:15)" (Catholicism-Richard P McBrien-II, XI, 376).
Have you ever had an experience where you become a trainer in the plan of God or the world? What were the positive ways you guided or help students to achieve the goals desired.
Help for Life
We struggle with the problem of competing responsibilities that all demand our attention. We are trapped in a rat race, not just of acquiring money but also of meeting family and business obligations. We pant through an endless series of appointments and duties. But we do not need to be left frustrated and exhausted from the demands of life.
The Christian approach to life can usher us into the Center of unhurried peace. Pope John XXIII declared, "The older I grow the more clearly I perceive the dignity and winning beauty of simplicity in thought, conduct and speech in a desire to simplify all that is complicated and to treat everything with the greatest naturalness and clarity."
The Christian approach is both easy and difficult. It is easy in the same way as all ways of life, having once worked their way into the ingrained habits of our lives they become easy. "Virtue is easy" says the moral philosophers, and so it is once it is embedded in the personality.
But there are times of struggle and effort, times when we despair of ever having our life styles where we feel they should be, times when we wonder if our lives will ever be great.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer before he died at the hands of the Nazis, said "To be simple is to fix one's eye solely on the simple truth of God at a time when all concepts are being confused, distorted, and turned upside down." Such focus makes one peaceful and able to cut through the difficulties of life.
Without the spirit of trust in God the Father we find it difficult (dare I say impossible?) to live effectively.
Paul counseled Christians to live free from anxiety that, of course, is more easily said than done. Everything in our training and in our culture combats a carefree spirit of unconcern. How can we be free from anxiety and live life the best way possible. "And the peace of God, which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7).
Enslavement to the opinions of others is the source of a great deal of grief in modern society. How often we discover our action to be prompted, not by what is best, but by what others may say or think. Sadly, we must confess that our experience is all too frequently characterized by endless attempts to justify what we do or fail to do.
"All plenty which is not my God is poverty to me" (St. Augustine).
If you needed to talk with someone about a personal problem all other things being equal would you rather talk to a Christian or a non-Christian? Explain your answer?
Your interest in utilizing this course, says something about you. The longing to know God's will is a gift. His Spirit has been at work in you creating the desire to discover his will.
I suspect that your interest is in finding daily guidance.
The will of God is not a set of sealed secret orders we search for and receive if we happen to find them. Rather, the will of God is a relationship with Him in which He discloses His purpose, power, and plan for our lives - and in that order.
There are many different forms and patterns of God's training program for his children. The particular twists and turns of the path of God's training plan for one individual may be unique. One person's story can never be the replica of another's... thank goodness!
One of the assumptions of this course is that there is a uniqueness of the plan followed by each individual. The particular uniqueness of the grace provided by God for an individual is not to be viewed as a model in such a way as to try valiantly to replicate that pattern of the program in one's own life. The richness of the fabric of the Christian community lies in the interweaving of the threads of our diverse Christian training programs.
Another assumption of this course is that one of the common elements of the separate training programs of individual Christians is that of suffering and/or challenges. The difficulties of each individual, has its own uniqueness and is not duplicated in the life of another, and yet there is much in common for us to consider. We are nourished deeply by the fact and imagery of our brother and coach "Christ" and the power of images and stories of fellow children of God. It is the love of God our Father that makes the training of his sons and love of God our Father that makes the training of his sons and daughters a precious and unifying gift. It is our perception of the control by God, our sense of the presence of God as a loving heavenly parent alongside his children, that breaks open to us the possibility of value in personal submission and trust.
How reassuring that in God's plan there can be assistance and renewal when the program seems most overwhelming. The soul's longing, the spirit's questions, the heavenliness of God, the yoke of earth's busyness and influence, these can drive us to despair, send out questions doubts and need for guidance.
An underlying assumption of this course is that the miracle of grace is not always self-evident. However, the promise of this miracle in the experience of even the most agonizing training program is always offered, providing assistance and renewal. This course is about authentic guidance and assistance for the children of God in their Christian growth. It does not attempt a simple detail defined training program. What is offered is guidance on setting up a personal program.
What are some basic questions of life, death, spirituality, and meaning you would like to work out in this course?
Is it true that God is love to me as a Christian?If so, certain questions arise.
Why do I ever grumble and show discontent and resentment at the circumstances in which God has placed me?
Why am I ever distrustful, fearful, or depressed?
Why do I ever allow myself to grow cool, formal, and half-hearted in the service of the God who loves me so?
Why do I ever allow loyalties to be divided, so that God has not all my heart?
Could an observer learn from the quality and degree of love that I show to others - my wife? my husband? my family? My neighbors? people at church? people at work? - anything at all about the greatness of god's love to me?
Could we be imagining God as a magnified image of ourself and assume that God shares our complacency about His love?
It is a fine thing for children to be proud of their father, and to want others to see how wonderful he is, and to take care that they behave in public in a way that is a credit to him.
The children must show the family likeness in their conduct.
Throughout our life in this world, and to all eternity beyond; He will constantly be showing us, in one way or another, more and more of His love, and thereby increasing our love to him continually.
He moves us to look to God as to a Father, showing towards Him the respectful boldness and unlimited trust that is natural to children secure in an adored father's love.
He impels us to act up to our position as royal children by manifesting the family likeness (i.e. conforming to Christ's guidance) furthering the family welfare (i.e. loving brothers and sisters), and maintaining the family honor (i.e. seeking the Father's and Family's glory).
As we seek God Himself looking to Him as our Father, prizing His fellowship, and finding in ourself an increasing concern to know and please our Father.
They know that they are working towards a day when they will graduate and join him in heaven.
Paternal discipline exercised through outward pressures and trials help the process along; the Christian up to his eyes in trouble can take comfort from the knowledge that in God's kindly plan it all has a positive purpose, to further his graduation. in this world, royal children have to undergo extra training and discipline, which other children escape, in order to fit them for their high destiny.
If a friend was to help you with your relationship with God, with special emphasis on warmth and closeness, how would he or she do this?
The clue to understanding all His dealing with them is to remember that throughout their lives He is training them for what awaits them and chiseling them into the image of Christ. Sometimes the chiseling process is painful and the discipline difficult.
"I am a child of God. God is my Father; heaven is my home; every day is one day nearer. My savior is my brother; every Christian is my brother too... May this secret become fully yours, and fully mine" (Knowing God - J. L. Packer).
Do I daily remind myself of my privilege as a child of God?
Do I daily dwell on the love of God to me?
Do I treat God as my Father in heaven, loving, honoring and obeying Him, seeking and welcoming His fellowship, and trying in everything to please Him as a human parent would want His child to do?
Do I think daily how close He is to me, how completely He understands me, and how much, He cares for me?
God humbles us; God instruct's us; God makes us His own true children.
Am I proud of my Father, and of His family?
As on earth, their is a selection of schooling approaches, types of schools and training. There are various religions, denominations, and churches. Sometimes it's hard to select the right "training camp" or church and remain with it. But we must remember that we are being taught by God.
"...the church is holy in that it is a community of dissatisfied sinners. They are not satisfied with themselves, or with the way things are in the world around them. They are gathered together not to justify their present way of life or to advertise their piety, but to admit publicly that they need to be forgiven for what they are, and they want to change and need help. The people of God, in other words, are holy not because of what they have or what they are, but because of what they are seeking to receive and to become.
"'These Christians and their God may be interested in my soul or in my body, but they are not interested in me.' Like Christ himself, who healed bodies and broken relationships with God and other people, the church and we Christians are sent to minister to whole men, body and soul, and to be concerned for the wholeness of their lives, not just fragments of it.
"Jesus, who was himself the Word of God, both spoke of the saving love of God and demonstrated it by living as the man with and for other men" (Christian Doctrine-Shirley C. Guthrie, Jr.).
One of the ways we will enter into a Church is through a commitment to that Church and its program of assisting you to reach your Goals, in a public way called Baptism.
Christ stresses the importance of not merely wearing, but learning, Are you open to God's teaching?
(John 6:43-45)
Jesus answered, "Stop grumbling among yourselves. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him to me; and I will raise him to life on the last day. The prophets wrote, 'Everyone will be taught by God.' Anyone who hears the Father and learns from him comes to me."
As you commence in this course, you are invited to:
- reflect on the nature and effect of God's plan that you are encountering;
- widen your appreciation of the challenges and helps for the training program you are to follow;
- think and pray so as to use this program as a stimulant and motivator, rather than to be burdened and overcome by it.
it is our hope that your life will be richer as you grow in your experiencing of the training program provided you, By viewing this program in terms of a "gift" from God, means that it is laden with possibilities for learning, and may be part of God's gracious provision for his children. In this way, you may be able to discover more readily the presence of the Spirit in your time of growing.
Take the time, now, to set down what you see as God's plan and training program for you. The point is to summarize your concerns and feelings as completely as you can, not at this stage to analyze them or reflect on them at any length. When you have written down your "understanding" them reflect further on your training program using the following questions:
- The degree and actions which you need to make changes or improvements;
- Who, What, and How you really need to establish a concrete written training program; and
- Write a "letter" to yourself, letting that "Person" know "You" are not alone, and how this individual will be successful.
Reliving God's guidance
In times of spiritual growth it is helpful to follow the advice of our brother Christ to his confused disciples "Return to Galilee": return to those special days spent in the company of the Lord. Return and find him in a new way.
Read through the following instructions, then take at least twenty minuets for this meditation;
- Return in memory and imagination to a particular time when you experienced God's guidance and love for you, whatever the circumstance.
- Stay with that scene and absorb God's love again. Recapture a little of the joy or peace, the guidance or assurance of that time. Relive the event in your imagination. Don't merely recollect it. Stay with the experience of the meditation as long as you can, until there is a sense of peacefulness and guidance. Take as much time as you need.
- Now come back to the present and speak with God... share your feelings with him, and be open to whatever he has to say to you now.
- Close with a brief prayer of thanksgiving, trust, and commitment.
If this form of meditation is unfamiliar to you, it may be helpful to return several times to this example, over a few days or a week; some find it helpful to use such a meditation regularly, as a way of "recharging the batteries" of the spirit.
Sometimes, the anguish is too great to be able to engage in such a meditation on your own. If so, after trying for a while relax and leave it. Return to the exercise at a later time, and try again. If you still can not master it, consult with your trainer.
Earth's Child/God's Child
We must be free to decide to give respect and glory or not. Without this freedom, the glory or respect we would give our Creator/Father would not be as pleasing to him. Respect that a human may receive from other humans can either be one based on fear or one based on admiration and love. The same is true for God our Father. He has made us in his likeness with the ability to choose to give him love, respect and glory. When we do give him his due, he truly becomes our Father and we his sons and daughters.
(2 Esdras 7:59-61)
"All right," he replied, "so draw the logical conclusion" the person who has what is scarce has more reason to be pleased than the person who has what is plentiful. It's the same with the judgment that I have promised" I will be pleased with the few who will be saved, because they are the ones who now praise and honor me and make my name known. I will not be sad about the large number of people who will be lost, because even now they last no longer than a vapor; they disappear like fire and smoke; they catch fire, blaze up, and quickly go out."
How am I going to be the "salt?"
If we follow the narrow (difficult) path we will be welcomed by our Father in Heaven. Perhaps it is because our God is Triune that God created us to be interdependent. "He is not ashamed," the letter to the Hebrews (2:9-11) says, to call us brothers (and sisters). God recognized all the connections: of nature with people, of people with people, of him with everything and everyone. "God has joined all of us intimately with himself." "Let no one separate what God has joined."
How is my church participation going to change?
"Whoever does not accept the Family of God like a little child shall not enter into it," Jesus says. From children we can learn again to delight in nature, to accept each other, to reach out in joy and in our need. From children we can learn again to approach our Father in heaven without fear and to accept our equality with Jesus.
Once we recapture our childlike nature, free from defenses, we can begin to be faithful in all of our relationships and to have a good "family" life. Christ described standards of conduct for his followers that contrast with current values, and show what we can expect from the world?
(Luke 6:20-25)
Jesus looked at his disciples and said,
"Happy are you poor; the Kingdom of God is yours!
Happy are you who are hungry now; you will be filled!
Happy are you who weep now; you will laugh!
Happy are you when people hate you, reject you, insult you, and say that you are evil, all because of the Son of Man! Be glad when that happens and dance for joy, because a great reward is kept for you in heaven. For their ancestor did the very same things to the prophets.
But how terrible for you who are full now; you will go hungry!
How terrible for you who laugh now; you will mourn and weep!
If you could add another "blessed" and another "woe" to counteract current values?
We have happiness to look forward to, but we must have humility in accepting it. Self-righteoness is dangerous. It leads to pride, causes, a person to despise others, and prevents him or her from learning anything from God. Don't let pride in your achievements cut you off from God.
(Luke 18:4)
"For everyone who makes himself great will be humbled, and everyone who humbles himself will be made great."
And we must not lose track of the major key to happiness, obedience. To fear the Lord means to revere and honor him.
(Proverbs 28:14)"Always obey the Lord and you will be happy. If you are stubborn, you will be ruined.
The Children of God are to take heart and go fourth with determination. Their mission is to be the salt that gives common life its ssavior, they are to be like a light shining in a dark place. Their job is to form a "spiritual guide" whose acts of mercy and charity radiate through the world (Matt. 5:1-16). But be careful, you will be tempted to feel important, proud, and possessive. Jesus welcomed little children because they have the kind of faith and trust needed to enter God's kingdom.
(Luke 18:17)
"Remember this! Whoever does not receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it."
What has helped you see the impossibility of 'earning" the Kingdom? As a result, how have you experienced the gift of the kingdom?
The Child of Good will be sustained by the power of God, and in the act of submission ass a child, will find the only kind of life that is worth having. Jesus' words show the way to eternal life, though unseen, is secure- as secure as your trust in Jesus. The only issue is your willingness to believe.
(JOHN 14:1-4)
"Do not be worried and upset," Jesus told them. "Believe in God and believe also in me. There are many rooms in my Father's house, and I am going to prepare a place for you. I would not tell you this if it were not so. And after I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to myself, so that you will be where I am. You know the way that leads to the place where I am going."
If Jesus is the way, do you feel you are on a bumpy dead-end street, or on a four lane highway? Why?
By being that Child of God, that Christ has guided us to, we will have him coming to bring us to heaven at our "graduation." Another ingredient we have learned about, is our relationship to other Children of God. We are all God's children, if we accept that Jesus is the Savior of the world, and if we love the Fther we must love his children also (for they are brothers and sisters in our Heavenly Family). But loving God means living in obedience to his commandments which include loving our neighbor, and we are given power (grace) to help them by God himself, who promises that we shall be victorious over evil through Christ (1 John 5:1-5). The hard work and self-discipline of serving Christ, the more love we will live in.
(1 Corinthians 13:2-7)
"I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains - but if I have no love, this does me no good.
"Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail."
What are the qualities of "love is..." at home, political views, work, etc. Which ones do you need to work on?
To live as God's Child means living in true fellowship with one another, accepting forgiveness of our sins through Christ, and following in his footsteps. This is the old Gospel which is ever new; through it we have passed from darkness to light, from hate to love, from sin to forgiveness. We cannot claim to love God and live like pagans.
Christian Model
Noah
The manner in which God leads his people is best understood by examining the Scriptures. Often God describes coming activity in rich symbolism. For example , when God revealed to Noah his plans for the earth, God made a promise - he would destroy all the people of the earth. He also gave Noah a clear picture of how this promise would be fulfilled - a terrible flood would consume and cover the earth (Gen. 6:17). Noah's ministry of preaching and constructing the ark was not driven by his vision of how he could best serve his community; neither was it his imaging the best possible future for his society. Noah's vision came from God's promise of an imminent flood. After the flood subsided, God made another promise to Noah. This time the symbol of God's promise was a rainbow (Gen. 9:12-13). God often presents his promises in images that captivate people's imaginations.
Student prayer
Thank you Father, for extending your loving arms to me. If I should stray from your path, guide me back into your sight and care. I never want to be without You in my life. Amen.
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