“I
press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me
heavenward in Christ Jesus.” -
Philippians 3:14
How often do you find
yourself rewriting your list of life goals? How many goals have you successfully
accomplished? How many did you fail to achieve? Well, I have good news for you!
God has a perfect plan for your life that will bring you both fulfillment and
excitement. There is never a dull moment when you walk in God’s footsteps for
you.
As we pray about His will
for us, He opens doors for us, which glorify His name. We may work in an
office, school, church, hospital, retail store, beauty shop or garage, but we
are doing His will for our life. God’s goals unfold before us as we completely
relinquish our will to His will. By examining the apostle Paul’s life, we gain
a clear picture of just how exciting life can be when we live for God.
Paul lived a completely
surrendered life. All through his epistles to the various churches which he started,
Paul gives testimony to God’s provision. Whether he was preaching a sermon on
Mars Hill, shipwrecked, beaten or under house arrest, he realized that God was working
everything out for his good (Romans 8:28).
His goal in life was to exalt Christ whether he lived or died (Philippians
1:20) and he was very successful at it.
Even when life took a turn
for the worse, and all hope ebbed from Paul’s heart, he realized that
everything he did, even when chained to Roman guards in prison, was for the
glory of God (Philippians 1:13).
His attitude spoke volumes to the guards and many listened to his message of
the Gospel of Christ as he shared courageously and fearlessly with his captors (Philippians
1:14). Paul learned contentment in every
situation he found himself in, because he loved living as a vessel for God to
work through (Philippians 4:11-12).
Paul lived with an eternal
focus (2 Corinthians 4:18).
The circumstances in his life had no depressive effect on him, because his joy
was always in the Lord (Philippians 4:4). We too are transformed into the image of Christ through the things that
we suffer in this life (2 Corinthians 3:18; Hebrews 2:10). Plans that we make for our life bear little fruit,
but when we walk in the Spirit we accomplish great things for the Kingdom of
God (Galatians 5:16, 25). As we come
to know Him, love Him, worship Him and live for Him, our life contains more joy
than we can ever even imagine.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, allow Your light to shine within us so much, that people will see You in us (Matthew 5:16). Help us to be a beacon on a hill (Matthew 5:14-16) and to share the gospel story with everyone who will listen. Enlighten their eyes to see and their ears to hear so that they can join us in Your Kingdom for eternity. Help us to walk in Your will for our life and to be a reflection of You to the world.
Thought for the Day:
Believers
greet each new morning with expectancy of what God has in store for us, as well as faith
that He will give us everything we need to accomplish His plans in our life. Thank you, Susan Holsinger, for the use of your photo.
