Discovering God's Plan For Me

You are one of a kind, created by God with a purpose in mind. And your uniqueness fits you to be a key part of God’s bigger plan. Think of it this way: a single piece of a jigsaw puzzle, as interesting and colorful as it may be, doesn’t look like anything you’ve ever seen before. That’s good in and of itself. But when the piece is connected to other similarly colored pieces and shapes, we can see a whole new dimension—it begins to make sense as a part of the whole amazing picture.

To carry the comparison just a little further, if one puzzle piece stays hidden inside the box . . . well, the puzzle won’t be complete. The good news is: God has supplied all the pieces necessary to make a beautiful whole, and to top it all off, God is the puzzle master!

God’s in charge—that’s a relief!

That is why we so often talk about God as the author of our lives. Granted, within the big framework of a lifetime, we have lots of choices, and freedom to make those choices. But God is always watching, indeed always very near us, to guide us and to give us everything we need to measure up to our purpose.

He’s also ready to “rule and overrule,” to give our lives order and meaning, which sometimes means overruling our bad choices. The Apostle Paul explained that best in Romans 8:28-29, saying:

“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, 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 within a large family.”

God knows what it’s like to be human

Paul’s convictions were based on the best news of all-- that God was born as a particular man, Jesus Christ, in a particular place, and subjected himself to all of our yearnings and heartaches, so that we would know how well he understands what it is to be human. He took on skin and bones to make crystal clear what he wants us to know about him, too—

that he loves us (and the whole world, too!);
that he wants to forgive us when we mess up and to restore us, faultless, to live with him as a beloved family member; and . . .
that he wants to stick with us, and not only that, but draw all the world to him, healed and restored—to live in perfect harmony forever (John 3:16).

We’re well aware what being human involves and how easy it is to make lousy choices and even to disregard the harm those choices might do. You’ve go to admit, it’s pretty easy to be comfortable and strive for happiness alone. But God wants so much more for us.

God gave us hope through Jesus

So, God gave us his word which we call scripture, or the Bible, to guide us. Then he sent us The Word, his Son Jesus, to show us in flesh what his will is for all humans.

And as if that weren’t enough, this son who lived in the same world you and I live in, was so obedient to his Father that he went through more suffering than most of us could endure. Still, he kept on telling the truth for our sakes, until the worst was done to him: death on a cross. He endured all that pain, single-minded in purpose—to be God’s saving love for a lost and hurting world.

God raised him up from death to show us that there is new life on the other side of the worst we can imagine. And to show us that he is there beyond death, too. In fact, risen from the grave, he’s now freed from his earthly constraints to walk with us and talk with us personally today. He has proven, hasn’t he, how desperately he wants to be near us?

We love God because God first loved us

God loves you so. You are like the lone and wandering sheep Jesus talks about in Luke 15:4-5, or like the writer of Psalm 139 who says, “O LORD, you have searched me and known me. . . . Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.”

I’d like to share with you some words that have been recited at Christian baptisms for generations. They express perfectly what it means to be adopted as a child of God through the grace of Jesus Christ:

Little child, for you Jesus Christ came.
For you he struggled, for you he suffered;
for you he endured the darkness of Calvary ;
for you he triumphed over death.
For you.
And you, little child, know nothing of all this,
but this we do [baptism] . . .
affirming the words of the Apostle:
‘We love God because God first loved us.’

What’s that question again?

Because God has a purpose for you and me, each day of life has meaning. We don’t make the meaning; it’s already there for us to realize. We have to look for it, though, and we have to have eyes to see it. We are able to recognize God at work in our lives, because we’ve seen him at work in the Bible. His faithfulness and redeeming love meant so much to the people in those stories, that they made sure his work was recorded for future generations.

We also know his love and trust his guidance as they come to us through prayer and regular community worship. That’s when God who we know in the face of Jesus is most personal. At times like that, when we offer ourselves fully to him, it is clear that God is longing to be our rock, our comforter, and our guide. And it helps to have other followers of Jesus around as together we search for the way of life that is most pleasing to him.

Maybe you’ve never experienced God’s love for you. I’d like to invite you to imagine you’re standing at the foot of the cross, wondering at the depth of Jesus’ love for you that led him to this place. He went up to this lonely place, even when he knew how you’ve messed up. What do you think he would say he wants for you? How would you respond to him?

As you think on that scene, I invite you to recall Jesus’ words from John 5:24—“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and does not come under judgment, but has passed from death to life.” How would your life be different if you believed that? If you’ve never asked Jesus to come into your life and take charge, now would be a good time.

If you’d like to talk more about what it means to follow Jesus and to grow up into him (Ephesians 4:15), call one of the First Church pastors. We’d love to talk to you about the best news we’ve ever heard.