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| Lessons from God's Faithfulness (Part Five) |
The trouble with not having goals is that you spend your life running up and down the field and never score. (Bill Copeland)
There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel—that will stand. (Proverbs 19:21, NKJV)Akin: They say, “Why plan, when God already knows what will happen?” Worse still, others bring religion to play, as a seasoning to this erroneous mindset. They say, “A man is what God wants him to be.” Really? So, what is the essence of freewill?
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter. (Proverbs 25:2, NKJV)IC: You know, God created mankind to be like Him. It means we were given the ability to think, make decisions, and act on those decisions. For whatever thing we chose to act on, there is a reward – either positive or negative, consequences. Same goes for whatever thing we chose not to act on.
Akin: You are right on the money, my brother.
Akin: Unknown to these erstwhile good folks, they are accusing God of wrong doing. They are saying, “He played a fast one on us.” They are saying, “He never left us a choice. Hence, there is no basis for judgement.” Nothing can be further from the truth. The devil sure sold them on this earthly, humanistic, pharisaic way of thinking and reasoning.
You need a plan to build a house. To build a life, it is even more important to have a plan or goal. (Zig Ziglar)Akin: This same people treat their jobs/businesses much better than they treat their lives. They plan for, or are made to plan for their jobs/businesses, but think their own life is worth less. If this is not foolishness, I don’t know what else is. They do not leave their business to chance, but think their lives can be.
Akin: The Word of God tells us, “Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant.” (Galatians 6:7, NLT)
Goals give us direction. They put a powerful force into play on a universal, conscious, and subconscious level. Goals give our life direction. (Melody Beattie)IC: Sure, the fact is – whether we admit it or not, we are always planning. We are either planning to succeed or planning to fail. The difference lies in how we are positioning ourselves for control, for a predictable outcome vs. leaving things to chance.
IC: If we don’t take the time to define how we desire the end to look like, be sure it is aligned with God’s word for us, and work towards achieving that, how would we know when we get there? If we don’t define what success looks like, how would we know that we are successful?
Akin: Great questions, my brother. How I wish these folks will take time out to ponder on these, and use the common sense God has endowed them, rather than simply playing religion.
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. (Galatians 6:7, NKJV)IC: Failure to plan they say, is planning to fail. We can also look at it another say by asking ourselves, what we are not planting today that we should be planting. For all of us, if we are honest with ourselves and dig deep, we can develop a pretty good list of such. There is no better time to swing into action, trying to close the gaps, than now!
Akin: The scriptures rightly say, “Today is the day of salvation.” [2 Corinthians 6:2] We all can make adjustments in our lives that will make it better and more fulfilling, today. Not tomorrow.
Even though the future seems far away, it is actually beginning right now. (Mattie J.T. Stepanek)
Akin: What we do not sow, we will not reap. It is that simple. We need to ask ourselves where we want to be; what we want to have and what we want to happen to us in the future. Then, ask what we need to start doing today to make our desired future a reality. It is that simple
The best way to predict your future is to create it. (Abraham Lincoln)Akin: The very basis of God’s judgement is the fact we have a choice. In fact, WE ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE. We are the captains of our own destiny. WE DETERMINE ITS FINAL RESULT, NOT GOD. As far as God is concerned, What HE WANTS FOR US ALL IS LIFE. [Deuteronomy 30:15-20; Jeremiah 29:11; John 10:10] Whether we attain that or not is determined by the choices WE make.
The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Akin: Where then is the place of destiny, someone might ask? Destiny is not some cast in concrete, ideal path our life has to pass through. NO! That is far from the truth. Rather, destiny is what we make of life. We create our own destiny by what we make of the life we have been given. We are all without excuse. WE ALL HAVE A SEED OF GREATNESS. We all have a chance at greatness. Whether or not we attain greatness, or to what extent we do is up to the choices we make.
It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves. (William Shakespeare)Akin: I love the way John Galsworthy puts it. He says, “If you do not think about your future, you cannot have one.” So, the ball is in your court. Do you have a future you want? What are you doing today to make it come into existence?
Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved. (William Jennings Bryan)Akin: That is all we are able to take this week. We will pick up from here next time.
Akin: Remember, God loves you. Go out and make a positive difference in/to your world. We love you.
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