GOD’S PLANS (part-7)

ARE YOU MISSING THE MARK ON GOD’S PLANS FOR YOU?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing
worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost
all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ and be
found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from
the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness
that comes from God on the basis of faith.
(Philippians 3:8-9)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever reached a point in your life where you thought,
    “I would be willing to trade in all
      of my stuff for peace and happiness”?
We can spend so much time chasing our rainbows that we miss
out on some important facets of life. The problem of course is,
we are so busy with our achievements and amassing possessions
that we fail to see the precious things of life passing us by. But it
is never too late to make a change in our priorities.

We have to wonder if Paul didn’t reach a similar point in his life.
If he did, what did he do about it? He re-focused and re-prioritized.
Paul was willing to give up all things to know the Lord better. Why?
Because he knew the benefits of knowing and being close to the Lord.

He knew he would discover a new type of righteousness that comes from
God Himself. He knew this was a righteousness that he could not attain
on his own, and he also understood the benefits of changing his priorities.
Based on what the scriptures tell us, Paul knew the ‘connector’ to his new
level of righteousness would be an ever-increasing faith.

Paul felt that his relationship with the Lord was so important that he
considered everything else as garbage. We know we have necessities
that require our attention, but when our relationship with the Lord
is at the top of our priorities, we have an opportunity to experience
the same sensations that Paul did.

People can go through many doors which do not lead to the Kingdom
of God. Some try the door of good works. They say,
    “I can get to heaven if I do enough good things,
      because God will honor the good things I do.”

It’s great to do good things, but we can never do enough good things
to satisfy God. God demands perfection, and we’re not perfect. If
we’re going to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, we must be absolutely
perfect. We may ask,
    “How then will I ever be perfect?”

We need to be clothed in a righteousness that only comes from God.
That includes our imperfections being covered with the blood of His
Son, Jesus Christ. There is one door to the Kingdom and it is Jesus;
we will never get to Heaven unless we go His way.

ACTION:
We should ask ourselves:
    “Am I ready for a righteousness that only comes from God?”

If our answer to this question is, “Yes”, then we need to be prepared
for some notable changes in your priorities. Whatever God gave to
Paul, is available to believers today as well. However, we also need
to have a constantly increasing faith (as Paul did) and a desire for
the Lord to renew our minds.
    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)

God’s plan for salvation includes sanctifying us, which is a process that
purges us of all unrighteousness and increases righteousness in our lives.
It is a process by God to remove the sinfulness in our lives that we don’t
have the capability of eliminating without Him.

It is a lifelong process that begins when we receive salvation from the Lord,
and ends when we meet Him after our earthly life journey is over. Overall.
He changes ‘who we are’ to ‘who He wants us to be’. That means we will no
longer have the same habits and attitudes we had before He blessed us with
salvation. He includes a few of the things that need to change so we will have
a better understanding of the magnitude of changes required to be righteous.
    Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully
    to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body. “In your anger
    do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and
    do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must
    steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own
    hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Do
    not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what
    is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may
    benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with
    whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness,
    rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
    Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just
    as in Christ God forgave you.
    (Ephesians 4:25-32)

We may look at this list and think,
    “I’m not a thief and I try to be kind to other people”
But we need to remember this list is a reminder that we should expect
significant changes in our lives. There are two phrases included in these
scriptures that should cause us to evaluate our current level of sincerity
to pursue righteousness.
    (not just allowing God to change us, but embracing the changes,
      because we know they are for our good, and will result in our
      life becoming a witness of our faith to others).

One is,
    ”do not give the devil a foothold”
Are there areas of sin in our lives that continue to haunt us? Have we
released all our sins to the Lord, or are we still holding loosely (or tightly)
to some ‘pet’ sins or attitudes that indicate selfishness is still in control of
who we are (the thoughts we have; how we react to circumstances; habits
that are deep-rooted in our attitudes; etc.). When we allow Satan to gain
a ‘foothold’, it gives him the opportunity to gain a ‘stronghold’ which
will choke out the righteousness God is working to increase in our lives.

The other phrase is,.
    “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God”
When we receive salvation from God, our eyes are opened to all forms
of unrighteousness (including some we may not have considered as sins
in the past).

As a result, we ‘know’ what God (and His Spirit) don’t want to be a part
of the lives of those who belong to Him. Why? Because as a member of
His family, our lives represent the characteristics of God to others. When
we continue in sinful actions or attitudes, it will grieve the Holy Spirit of
God, and that is disobedience of God’s will and His plans for us. It will
prevent us from living out God’s plans for our lives.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, I have spent much of my life chasing my will,
but I want to change and start following Your will. I want to have
the righteousness that only You can provide. Help me to rearrange
my priorities and increase my faith so I can enjoy fellowshipping
with You at a new level. Thank You, Jesus for going to the cross
and receiving the punishment I deserve for my sinfulness. God,
I thank You for Your assurance that when I believe in Your Son,
and yield to Your control of my life, I will have a place reserved
for me in Heaven. Let that promise be the guiding light in all I
say and do. Forgive me for the times when I fail to obey You”

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