GLAD FOR GOD'S PLANS

GLAD FOR GOD’S PLANS

Rom. 12:12 Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful.  NLT

      We don't know all that God is planning for us, either here on earth or in heaven. God doesn't tell us everything we want to know. He tells us more about heaven than He does about the life we are living on earth. It seems obvious to me why He withholds from us a lot of the things we want to know.                                                                             If we were to know what God is planning for our day, we might not even get out of bed in the morning! We may alter our living in anticipation of what was coming our way. We may cease to do that which is good because of what we may know lies ahead. What we know might affect the way we treat others or think about them. We simply aren't responsible enough to handle insight on what our day may bring.

      Rather than dwelling on what we don't know, we are to rejoice in Him whom directs our paths. Don't sit around and ponder about what lies ahead, instead be glad for it. Be glad because you know that God loves you and will not allow anything to happen in your day that is not good. You may not see it the way God does, but He knows what you don't. He knows how everything works together for your good and He allows to happen whatever you need in order to help you trust and love Him more. He will never abandon you in your walk of faith. He goes with you no matter if your journey is smooth or rough sailing. He is always with you to help you, and if necessary, to carry you on your journey of faith.

      When trouble comes your way, be patient. Let the Lord work things out. Pray much as you journey through life and trust Him who promises to be with you, guide you, sustain you, encourage you, and bless you.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

GOD'S PLANS FOR US

Rom. 12:12 Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful.  NLT

      We don't know what God has in store for us except His coming and heaven.  He does not unravel for us our tomorrows.  He may give us general direction as to where we are heading, but He does not give us the details.  We should never concern ourselves about that which we have no control over.  The Lord is already where we will be so we simply should rejoice that He is there and is leading us to it.  We know that when we get there we will never be alone.  The Lord has a plan and we must learn to rest in Him and let Him work it. 

      Sometimes trouble is a part of His plan for us.  Why?  Because that is where we grow the most in our ability to trust and love Him.  We need tough times to teach us that the Lord is faithful and able to see us through them.  We need to learn to be patient and not let our troubles throw us for a loop.  They do pass and all things do work out for them who love the Lord.

      We learn trust and patience through prayer.  We must be disciplined prayer warriors.  We learn best on our knees that God is real and able to help us through whatever life brings us.  We learn the most about how precious our Lord is through prayer.  We must have time alone with our Lord in our prayer closets if we are going to survive and thrive spiritually.  Prayer is the key to successful godly living.

      We learn trust and patience through worship.  We must have regular time in our lives when we pause to admire God, appreciate what He has and is doing for us, and express gratitude to Him for all He means to us.

      We learn trust and patience through fellowship with other believers as we learn how He works in and through their lives.

       We learn that God is good all the time and whatever His plans are, everything will be alright.  His ways are always what is best for us and we patiently trust Him as He unravels them in our lives.  We do not get ahead of the Lord nor do we lag behind Him.  We go where He wants us to go, do what He wants us to do, when He wants us to do it. 

       In good times we rejoice as we feast on the riches of His blessings and give Him thanks.  In bad times we give Him thanks as we lean on Him because we know He is at work to make us more like himself through the lessons we learn from life’s hard knocks.

       God’s plans are always good for us and wise is he who lets the Lord have His way with him.

ENTHUSIASTICALLY WORK

Rom. 12:11  Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.  NLT

       Never, lazy and enthusiastically, three words that we need to take seriously, especially as it pertains to our walk with the Lord.

       If a person is always lazy, he will never make it in the world or the faith.  It takes work to stay on top of things and work takes effort.  It is far better to never let laziness be a part of who you are.  A lazy person generally is not wanted.  He is usually on the outside looking in.  A person who does work enthusiastically is usually the one who will get noticed and rewarded for their efforts.

       Spiritually, we must learn this lesson on laziness.  A lazy child of God will never make it to heaven.  It takes much work to keep our souls out of Satan's clutches.  The opportunities to fail far outweigh our opportunities to succeed.  We must stay on our guard and be alert to the opportunities for success.  We must do the work necessary.  We must dig deep into God's Word and learn how to live it.  We must be determined to stay connected with the Lord in prayer.  We must not pass on opportunities to do good for others around us.  We must work hard at resisting the temptations to compromise Biblical standards for our convenience or pleasure.

     We must stay on top of our spirit.  We must learn to serve the Lord enthusiastically.  We can do that when we have a deep appreciation for all that the Lord has done to save us, is doing to keep us, and will do to reward us in heaven someday.  Keeping our souls fixated on Jesus all the time helps us to not get lazy and to not serve Him out of duty instead of love and gratitude. 

REALLY LOVE ONE ANOTHER

Rom. 12:9-10 Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.  NLT

      What do people do when they fall in love with each other? How do lovers treat each other? There is so much emphasis placed on love these days; yet, so many of us act in unlovely ways. Why is it that people who love each other can’t seem to get along with each other? Could it be that we have bought into the wrong bill of goods? Could it be that we have built the foundation of our relationships on the wrong understanding of what love really is?

       God is love, so we must start there. If we are ever going to make love work, we must learn how to treat one another as God treats us. We can't be perfect lovers, but we certainly can come a whole lot closer to God's love than we normally do. God defines his love in a practical way in I Cor. 13:4-8a. We need to strive to live out His kind of love and not what is so commonly practiced in the world.

      Any attempt to "love" apart from God's love is not real love. Don't be like those who are pretending to love their spouses, children, neighbors, or friends. Love them as God loves them. I am convinced that if we were to really get serious about how we love each other, we would turn the world upside down for Christ. We may not change the world, but certainly we can help change those in our own little worlds.

      Who in your life could benefit from God's love? Will you be the one to love them even as God loves you?   You may not change the world by living life and loving others God’s way, but you may change one life for all of eternity.

YOU ARE ABLE

Rom. 12:6 God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well.  NLT

      It seems like a very unnecessary statement to comment on, but I believe it has tremendous importance for us as the Church.  We live in a day in which people with special looks, abilities, and athleticism are put in the limelight.  They educate us, entertain us and, usually make us feel inferior because they have something we don't, can do what we can only dream about doing, or look better than we do. 

People who stand out in a crowd are popularized.  They get all the attention and seldom are the abilities of the majority even noted.  With modern day technology, it is not hard at all to get one's face in front of millions of people if you have abilities or looks that stand out.

       But, what about the rest of us?  Don't we matter?  Yes, we do.  God has given each of us ability to do certain things well.  What we do well may never be recognized or acknowledged, but that is not the point.  What we do matters a great deal to God if we are doing it for His honor and glory.  You may only do one thing well, but if it is done for the Lord it matters a great deal to God.                                                                        

      We are given different abilities so that there will be no lack in the body.  Each one doing what they do best for the common good accomplishes much.  The parking lot attendant, usher or coffee maker is just as important to the health of the church as is the pastor, song leader or musicians.  Do what you do well for the glory of Christ and great will be your reward in heaven.

YOU ARE IMPORTANT

Rom. 12:4, 5  Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body.  We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do.  And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others.  NLT

       So many of us struggle with this truth.  We may find our niche in the Church, but then so often we fail to acknowledge or appreciate what others do.  We are prone to think of others or even ourselves as insignificant and not needed in the functioning of the church.  We may appreciate what others do, especially if they are leaders in the church, and take for granted the roles that everyone else plays. 

      Our text today reminds us that each of us plays a significant role in the body of the Church.  Everyone is equally important to the health of the Church.  We all do different things and if anyone doesn't do what they are given to do, the body suffers.  Ideally, we all serve in the area of our giftedness, but if we don't, what we do is still very important.  It takes the whole body functioning together to be a healthy church the Lord can use.

       We are a needy people.  As we strive to live out our faith in and outside of the Church, we need each other.  We need to know that we need each other.  We need to know that we are not alone.  We need the support, wisdom, encouragement, guidance and love of each other.  We need to draw from one another what we need in order to remain faithful to Christ in the world.  No one can be effective in faith by being a lone wolf.  It is as we serve and commune together that we are made strong and effective. 

       We are a community of believers, let us each do our part for each other that the Lord may by lifted up and honored amongst us.  Let us strive to always be aware of our need for each other.  Let us often give thanks to the Lord for each other.  Working together, let us always strive to lift up the name of Jesus in all we do.

HOW GOD SEES US

Rom. 12:3 As God's messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you.  NLT

        Let's be honest with ourselves today. For the most part we think pretty well about ourselves. We look around us and see a whole lot of people who are worse than we are. We know we aren't perfect, but we are closer to perfection than a lot of people are. We keep our names out of the newspapers. The law doesn't seek us out for questioning. Judges don't know who we are. We aren't irresponsible citizens or workers. We just aren't too bad.

      However, God sees us differently than we see ourselves. God sees us in light of His holiness and not in light of others. He doesn't care how we stack up against others. His measuring stick is different than ours. He is concerned about our standing with himself and nothing else. When we see ourselves through His eyes, we aren't nearly as good as we thought we were. We know that we fall so far short of holiness. We know that we are not good people at all compared to God. And, all that really matters is how we are in God's eyes.

      Measure yourself by your faith. Are you living close to the heart of God? Do you see yourself in light of your standing with God? Do you know that you need the Lord? Do you understand you need Him more now than you ever did in your life? The more you recognize your need for the Lord, the greater will be your faith in Him.