Sunday, March 20, 2016

Faith Unshakable

Gen 50:20 Joseph replies to his brothers who sold him into slavery because of their utter hatred for him  "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today."

How can you know what God has ordained for your life? Before we answer this question I'd like you to realize that if you can answer the above question with confidence by grace you have been given an unshakable faith which will ultimately lead to abundant peace. Due to how important this question is to our faith, allow me to break down the ways in which we can answer it.
We are not omnipresent like God so we must tackle the three sections of the question past,present, and future separately.

Past: I know whatever has happened in my life was ordained by God because it happened and thus God had a plan in it.

Present: I know God has brought me to this current place and he did so for a reason.
Future: I have a firm conviction that God is using all of my past and present circumstances to mold and shape me into his image. Even my evil nature cannot separate me from God's perfect plan.
Now let's understand why these three replies can be challenging.

It is no secret my childhood was a painful experience. I have fought depression, family crisis, and addiction to drugs, but the single most overwhelming weight I have carried is a deep understanding of just how broken this world is. When I research history, I see a human race that is littered with agony. When I look out into the world, I see millions of people born into suffering.

Imagine a happy family sitting around the dining room table having a jolly good time. All seems well in this moment but the truth is one of these family members will live to see all the others die.
That happy family will presently experience the guarantee of certain death and even their moment of joy around the dining room table will be taken from them as its memory will only deepen their sense sadness at this cold fact.

Yet through all the pain and suffering there was a man named Paul who wrote from prison close to his death the following passage
Philippians 4:11-13 "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

Paul also writes in Romans 8:28-30 "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified"

Paul uses the past tense when describing glorification because he realizes that our glorification is not an abstract future accomplishment, rather, we have virtually been glorified even in this moment.

God's will for us is exactly what we would choose for ourselves if we only had infinite wisdom. I want to leave you, my reader, with this hope. 

There are no mistakes in God's economy. Take heart, my dear readers, God has a plan and his plan will soon become our reality.

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