Skip to main content

Thursday... But He has a plan.


Thursday... But He has a plan.

I am reading in the New Testament about Paul. Luke is the writer of the Acts of the Apostles and mainly he writes about the Apostle Paul and all of his travels and battles. And in chapter 23:11 (NLT) he writes, "That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, 'Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.'" And that was exciting news to Paul.

How would you feel if the Lord woke you up in the middle of the night and told you that He was going to give you your heart's desire? It would be exciting, wouldn't it? But then you probably aren't in prison like Paul was. 

Verse 10 says, "As the conflict grew more violent, the commander was afraid they would tear Paul apart. So he ordered his soldiers to go and rescue him by force and take him back to the fortress." Paul was in a mess because he was preaching everywhere he could about Jesus but the Jews didn't like it and they were trying to kill him so he was also out telling the Gentiles about Christ and Rome was where he really wanted to go.

Now we have great desires too and we go to God and pray that they would happen and if He tells us it is going to happen, then we are really excited. Now God has a plan for our life and He had a plan for Paul's life. And the end resort was exciting but it didn't happen the way Paul thought it would but it was way better than he thought.

You see he didn't get to Rome as a great preacher, he got there as a prisoner and he was used by God in a greater way than he ever could have imagined. You see, as a prisoner he wrote a big portion of the New Testament which has made a major difference in sharing the message of Christ. More than if he had gone as a preacher.

God may put within our hearts a great desire and maybe He lets us know that it is going to happen but we need to be confident that He has a way planned out to accomplish it that is greater than we could ever imagine. God has His plan for our life and He wants us to trust Him and follow Him and let Him fulfill it the way He wants.

I have found that God's plan is way better than mine. And I am so glad that I have let Him fulfill His plan for my life. He is so better at it than I am. He has placed in me desires that He wants to fulfill but He wants me to trust Him in how He does it. So no matter what we are going through let's be encouraged as Paul was encouraged.

The Message says verse 11 this way, "That night the Master appeared to Paul: 'It's going to turn out for the best. You've been a good witness for me in Jerusalem. Now your going to be my witness in Rome!"

If we do what God wants us to do then it's going to turn out for the best. He has a plan. Let's trust Him. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning 


  

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do

Psalm 8:3-4 (NLT), "When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers - the moon and the stars you set in place - what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them?" Friday... Yes, we need them. We really do. No, not the fact that I can go out my front door and look out at night at the marvels of the sky. I can do that and it is amazing and it takes my breath away each time I see it. Yes, that is a fact but the reality of who did that and the wisdom and the faith that I have to believe that and to marvel that the one who did that cares about me makes such a difference in how I live my life. Yes, God really does. That is so wonderful for us to believe. And that is why faith and wisdom are so important. Now whatever belief you have at how that marvel happened must also be believed through faith. And the sad thing to me is that more and more people have been taught that there is no God and therefore he did not have a h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together!

Monday... Three ifs and two thens. They go together! They really do. And this is what caught my attention this morning as I was reading Proverbs 2. Verse 1 (NRSVUE) says, "My child, if you accept my words and treasure my commands within you." Verse 3 (NIV), "Indeed i f you call  out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, Verse 4, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, Verse 5, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God." And verses 9-11, " Then you will understand what is right and just and fair - every good path. For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul. Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you." There will always be some effort we must do, some ifs for the thens to be realized in our lives. So many of us want to understand without the ifs. But the thens are so worth, so very worth the effort. Verses 5-6 in the Ampli...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless.

Wednesday... Our unless can turn into useless.  It really can. I have found that unless I give the correct email of my wife then I can't get what I wanted. I put an extra i in her email and I have been working for 5 days to get it changed. Unless has been useless. The writer of Psalm 94 uses this word and shows how important it is. Verses 17-19 (NLT) says, "Unless the Lord had helped me, I would have soon settled in the silence of the grave. I cried out, 'I'm slipping!' but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me. When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer." "Unless the Lord had helped me." So many people go on and on and on striving to live their life on their own but they keep slipping and doubting and living without hope and cheer. Yes the Lord has such unfailing love for us, he really does but unless we have a relationship with him and we turn to him and ask him for help then the unless turns in to useless because h...
Post a Comment
Read more