Tag: God’s purposes

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Acts Devotionals

When we don’t understand God’s purposes

Why Question Mark Meaning Not Sure And Explanation

“Why?” is the oft unanswered question for us as Christians.

I’m sure the Christians in Jerusalem were wondering that after Herod Agrippa killed James, who was Jesus’ disciple and the brother of John.

(Quick note: this Herod was the grandson of the Herod who tried to kill Jesus as a baby in Bethlehem. The James mentioned in verse 17 was the brother of Jesus.)

Now, Peter was imprisoned by Herod and was scheduled to be executed in a few days.

But God saved Peter in a miraculous way.

The question is, though, why did God save Peter and not James?

Was it because the Christians had more faith when they were praying for Peter?

Hardly. They thought Rhoda was crazy when she said Peter was at the door. It seems despite their prayers, they had no faith at all that God would say yes.

So why?

We don’t know.

The truth is God’s plans are often not are our own.

So how should we respond?

1. No matter what, keep believing God is good.

We may not understand God’s plans or purposes. But we can trust they are good because he is good.

2. Connected with that, know that God will ultimately bring justice.

God promises to bring it quickly (Luke 18:7-8), but again, his idea of “quickly” is not always our own (Revelation 6:9-11).

But he will bring justice. He certainly did with Herod (Acts 12:20-23)

3. Keep praying, seeking him.

That’s what Jesus commanded us (Luke 18:1).

But remember: we pray and seek him not to align God to our plans. But to align ourselves to his.

I was talking with a friend recently, and he said something interesting: “God always answers my prayers. But he often doesn’t answer it the way I expect.”

But there was no bitterness or sense of resignation in his words. Rather there was a strong belief in God’s goodness.

God is good. His plans are good.

The question is will we his people still have faith when Jesus returns and those plans come to fruition? (Luke 18:8)

Will you?

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1 Corinthians

For God’s purposes, for God’s glory

1 Corinthians

As I think about the problems of pride and jealousy within the church because of spiritual gifts, I think a lot of it comes down to the fact that we forget our lives, as Rick Warren once put it, is not about us.

We were not created to live for our own purposes and our own glory. Rather we were created for God’s purposes and God’s glory.

We see this in verses 4-6. We all have different gifts, but it’s not as if those gifts were something we created within ourselves. Rather, they were gifts given from God himself.

And as Paul said in chapter 4,

For who makes you different from anyone else? (God).

What do you have that you did not receive? (Nothing).

And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? (For no good reason). (1 Corinthians 4:7)

Yet so often, we act as if we are God’s gift to man. In a sense, I suppose we are. We are to be a blessing to those around us.

But that is not for our glory and for our benefit. It’s for God’s glory and for the benefit of those around us.

Like I mentioned in the last blog, the gifts we have been given are to be used for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7)

Paul goes on to say,

All these (gifts) are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Corinthians 12:11)

Again, we see that these gifts are not only from the Spirit, but it is he who decides, for his own purposes, who to give them to.

Paul then adds,

But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. (1 Corinthians 12:18)

Here again we see that it is for God’s purposes that we are given our place in the body.

Because of this, there’s no room for pride. It is for God’s purposes that you have been placed where you are and given the gifts you have received, not your own.

And there’s no need for jealousy. God has specially placed you in where you are for his own good reasons.

It’s not that he said, “Well, I kind of messed up when I made you. I can’t use you for much, so I guess I’ll just stick you here.”

Rather God, when he created you, looked at you and said, “I have a special purpose for you. I need someone to fill in this position for my body, and I specially designed you to fill that need.”

How about you? Do you see your gifts as something that should bring you glory and fulfill your purposes?

Or do you see them as something that should bring God glory and fulfill his purposes.

A self-centered attitude concerning your gifts will lead to jealousy and pride. What kind of attitude do you have?

Categories
Acts

A God whose purposes cannot be thwarted

Acts

I mentioned yesterday that God will accomplish his will in our lives and no power on this earth can stop him. We see an example of this in this passage.

Some men had taken an oath to kill Paul, and had asked the chief priests to assist them in this.

I wonder what kind of an oath they took? That is, did they swear before God that they would do this? That would be the ultimate irony. “I swear before you, O God, that I will break the sixth commandment and murder a man.”

Now I’m sure they didn’t word it that way, but that’s essentially what they said. Even worse, the priests not only condoned it, but agreed to help them keep their oath.

But God is not one whose purposes can be thwarted. And so he placed Paul’s nephew in such a position that he somehow heard about the plot.

God then put favor in the heart of the Roman commander to not only listen to the warning, but to do everything possible to keep Paul safe until he could have his trial. As a result, the murder plot went for naught.

That should encourage us in our lives. Sometimes the world can seem against us as we do God’s will. Sometimes they actually are plotting against us.

But ultimately, nothing can thwart God and his purposes. So as Moses once told the people at the Red Sea,

Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you… (Exodus 14:13)

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John John 17

Sanctified, being sanctified

John

Sanctification.

It’s one of those words that could best be described as “Christianese.” A word that has meaning in the church, and very little outside of it.

It’s a word you often see in scripture, and one that you might hear thrown around in Sunday messages.

But what does it mean? Essentially, it has two meanings. It means “to be made separate for God’s purposes.” And it means “to be made pure.”

We see both of these ideas here. Jesus prayed for his disciples,

They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. (John 17:16–19)

Let’s take a look at verse 19 first. Jesus said that he sanctified himself that his disciples (and us, for that matter) would be sanctified too.

In other words, he set himself apart for the Father’s purposes by coming to this earth and going to the cross.

By doing so, he has sanctified us, both in the sense of purifying us of our sins, and also of making it possible for us to become truly his.

Now we are no longer truly of this world, though we are in it. Our way of thinking, the way that we live is completely different from the way the world thinks and lives.

That’s why they can no longer understand us, and some even hate us.

But each day, we are being sanctified.

Through God’s word, he shows us what is sinful in his sight, and he causes us to hate such things. And when we sin, his Word causes us to mourn over our sins and repent. In that way, he is constantly purifying us.

But through his Word, he also shows us day by day what he wants of us. He shows us how we are to live our lives and fulfill the purposes of his kingdom. And as we read and live these things, we become set apart for his purposes each day.

So in one sense we have been sanctified, having our sins cleansed because of the blood Jesus shed on the cross. And in another, we are constantly being sanctified day by day.

And since Jesus prays for this in our lives, let it be our prayer too.

Lord Jesus, please sanctify me through and through each day. Make me more like you, hating sin, and seeking to join the Father in his work every day.

Lord, where I fall, please forgive me and pick me up. Purify me, and make me yours each day. Amen.

Categories
Psalms

The God who fulfills his purpose in me

Psalms

After the depressing nature of Psalm 137, this psalm is quite refreshing.  Why?  I suppose it’s because the focus is back where it should be:  on God.

When David composed Psalm 138 is uncertain, but I suppose it’s possible he wrote it sometime after his ascension to the throne of Israel.

Perhaps as he wrote it, he was looking back on just how far he had come, and how God’s hand had been on his life.

He starts with praise, singing,

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart;
before the “gods” I will sing your praise.  (Psalm 138:1)

The word “gods” is a bit obscure in the Hebrew.  Whether he was proclaiming God before the false gods of the nations, or simply the kings of the nations is not clear.  Some ancient translations have even rendered it “angels.”

But whoever David meant, it’s clear that he places God over all,  even before the “mighty ones,” whether on heaven or earth.

Why?  Because of God’s love and faithfulness to him.  That when he called out in his distress, God reached down from above to deliver him.  And whenever David was afraid for his life, God gave him courage to stand once again.

Now as David looked back on his life, he saw just how great God was, and how faithful He was to His word.

So he sings in praise,

May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD,
when they hear the words of your mouth.

May they sing of the ways of the LORD,
for the glory of the LORD is great.  (4-5)

And because of God’s faithfulness to him the past, he could say with confidence,

The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me;
your love, O LORD, endures forever.  (8)

Are you struggling with doubt in your life now?  Are you feeling lost and abandoned by God?

Think of the times God has been faithful to you in the past.

Think first to the cross and what Jesus did for you.

Think to the people who first brought you to Christ and the circumstances surrounding your salvation.

Think of what God has done for you since.

Then remember that the same God who was with you then, has not abandoned you now.  His love does endure forever, no matter how many times we may fail him.

And God will fulfill his purposes for you in your life.

Categories
2 Chronicles Ezra

Called by name

Return from exile

And so after about ten months, we finally come to the end of 2 Chronicles.  Sometimes I thought we’d never get to the end of Kings and Chronicles.

But here, and at the beginning of Ezra, we see the return of the Jews to their homeland.  How did it come about?  Cyrus made a proclamation in the first year of his reign saying,

The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth.  He has appointed me to build Him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Any of you who are His people may go to Jerusalem in Judah to rebuild this Temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives in Jerusalem.  And may your God be with you!  (Ezra 1:2-3)

That first verse there struck me.  “[Yahweh] has given me all the kingdoms of the earth.  He has appointed me to build Him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.”

Why did he say that?  Considering that the Persians had their own gods, why did he give credit to the God of the Jews?  Probably because of what God had said through Isaiah the prophet.  Isaiah had written, years before Cyrus was born,

[God] says of Cyrus, “He is my shepherd and will accomplish all that I please; he will say of Jerusalem, ‘Let it be rebuilt,’ and of the temple, ‘Let its foundations be laid.'”(Isaiah 44:28)

And again,

This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I take hold of to subdue nations before him and to strip kings of their armor, to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut… so that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.  (Isaiah 45:1,3)

I believe that it was because of these words that Cyrus said what he did.

He allowed the Israelites to return, giving them back all the temple items that had been taken by Nebuchadnezzar.

Moreover, he commanded the Israelites’ neighbors to support them with gold, silver and other things for the rebuilding of the temple.

And with Cyrus’ blessing, the Israelites returned just as God had said.

Just as God called Cyrus to accomplish his purposes, so God has called us to do the same.

We were not called to live for ourselves.  We were not called for our own purposes.

God has called us by name that we might live for him.

Paul put it this way,

And [Jesus] died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.  (2 Corinthians 5:15)

Who are you living for?

God has not only called you for his purposes, he has called you by name.

Will you answer the call?

Categories
Ezekiel

For His purposes, for His glory, that all may know…

Ezekiel

In this passage, Ezekiel looks to the last days when nations will rise up against Israel and try to destroy it, only to be thrust back and destroyed by God.

There’s quite a bit of debate as to when this will happen which I won’t get into here.  There are others much more qualified to argue the point than I am.

I’m more interested in why God allows this to happen.  God tells the leader of those nations to come,

I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes.  (Ezekiel 38:16)

Then after describing the judgment to come against these nations, he says,

And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations.

Then they will know that I am the Lord.  (38:23)

The theme continues in chapter 39.

I will make known my holy name among my people Israel.

I will no longer let my holy name be profaned, and the nations will know that I the Lord am the Holy One in Israel.  (Ezekiel 39:7)

And when talking about Israel’s restoration, he once again says,

When I have brought them back from the nations and have gathered them from the countries of their enemies, I will show myself holy through them in the sight of many nations.  (Ezekiel 39:27)

What do we get from all of this?

All that God does is for his purposes.  All that God does is for his glory.

And all that he does is so that the world may know who he is, and that he is holy.  That he is the God above all other gods.

And on the last day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  (Philippians 2:10-11)

God chose Israel to be his people, not because Abraham or his descendants were any better than anyone else.

If you look at the lives of Abraham on down through all the people in Israel’s history, you see they were sinners just like everyone else.

In his grace God chose them.  And he chose them for his purposes.

He knew they would sin.  But he would use them anyway to glorify himself to the world.

He brought Jesus through the Israelites to redeem us from our sins and to reveal himself to us.

And the day will come when he again reveals his glory, power, and grace to the world.

How?  By defending Israel in the last days against the nations that would come against them and by pouring his Spirit upon his people and forgiving their sins.

God has chosen us as Christians for the same reasons.

Not because we are any better than others.  Not for our own purposes and our own glory.

But because of his grace, and for his purposes and his glory that all may know that he is the Lord,

A compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.  (Exodus 34:6-7)

May we all be a people for his purposes and his glory.