GOD LOVES YOU, FORGIVES YOU, AND HAS A PLAN FOR YOU!

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone
hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in
and eat with that person, and they with me.
(Revelation 3:20)

MEDITATION:
Over and over again, people ask this question,
    “If there is a God, then why is there so much suffering?”
There’s never an easy answer to that question,
especially for someone who is grieving, or suffering.

God has taught us that the universe has a disease
which is called “sin”, and until the last remnant
of this disease is gone, there will be problems
in the world, and in the lives of individuals.

Does that seem fair?
We can answer that question with this question,
    “Was it fair that an innocent Jesus was crucified,
      and that He took the punishment for our sin?”
Of course we know that it was fair, because it was “in God’s plans”.

His ways are much different than ours, and we can get
a better understanding of His ways when we spend time
with Him in prayer and reading His Word. In the passage
above, God has shown us His desire to spend time with
those who belong to Him.

Think about this:
    If we lived in a universe that is diseased with sin,
    and yet the world appeared to be a virtual paradise,
    then we might never come to God for salvation.
    And without salvation, we may live what we
    consider to be “the good life”, but end up
    spending a horrible and miserable eternity.

ACTION:
God has showered this world with immeasurable mercies but
we might be guilty of taking them for granted. We should
certainly be praying about the problems caused by sin in the
world, but at the same time we should be grateful for the
provisions of God’s grace and mercy.

When we assess our own life, we may not have achieved the
financial goals we wanted, or other goals we set for ourselves,
but God has given us food, clothing and shelter…in abundance!

No matter where we are in our life, when we compare
our lifestyle to those in third world countries, we are
considered wealthy. That is just one of the many ways
God has blessed us.

And, He has a plan for every person – how awesome is that?
The God who created the universe and every individual
considers each person important enough to create a
specific path for us to follow. And when we do, we will
discover new blessings from God.

Have you heard God knocking at “your” door? Have you
realized that He is knocking because He wants to spend
time with you? Have you felt that He wants to tell you
about His plan for you? If so, how have you responded?

Hopefully you haven’t allowed the “fear of the unknown” or
the “fear of having to leave your comfort zone” to discourage
you, and cause you to refuse to “open the door” for God’s
presence.

If God has something for you, then it has to be good for
you (and others), right? Open the door for Him and don’t
allow Satan to fill your mind with fears, so that you will
miss out on God’s blessings.

In order for you to follow the path God has created especially
for you, we need to continue growing and maturing spiritually.
How do we measure the direction of our spiritual maturity?

Think about the day you decided to surrender your life and
your will to God and His plan for you. Remember the moment
when you made that decision, and the things you knew would
have to ‘leave behind’? Remember the peace you felt as you
chose to leave them behind?

Now, look at your life today. How many of those things you
left behind, have you picked up again? Compare that with
how many additional things you have left behind as God has
shown you that they are also displeasing to Him and sinful in
His eyes. Are you continuing to ‘put on the new self’, or have
you been returning to your old self?
    You were taught, with regard to your former way of life,
    to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its
    deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your
    minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God
    in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22-24)

    But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as
    these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from
    your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off
    your old self with its practices and have put on the new self,
    which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
    (Colossians 3:8-10)

Remember, God said that He would spend time with you!
That means He will provide whatever you need to follow
the path he has created for you.

We are surrounded by a lot of “junk” which has a negative
impact on us and our lives, but God wants to encourage us
in the midst of everything! He can do that when we “open
the door” and give Him the highest priority in our lives.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for the blessings You have
given me, and forgive me for taking any of them for granted.
You are a good God who loves me, forgives me, provides
for my needs, desires fellowship with me, and saves me from
an eternal destiny of agony and separation from You. Thank
You for Your love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, blessings, and
salvation. I pray that I will always be prepared to share with
others how You have been good to me, and why You are my
God. Thank You, Jesus, for what You did for me on the cross
that gave me the opportunity to change my eternal destiny.
Thank You, Holy Spirit, for being an integral part of my daily
life.”

BLOG: utvolwoody.wordpress.com