Fulfilling Goals

Read: Galatians 5:16-25

“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.

Grasping or Receiving

Read: Ephesians 3:20-21

“To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” – Philippians 4:20

I used to grasp at God's gifts, jumping into the air to grab them out of His hands! I never could reach them, however. The more I demanded the further back God stepped. His face grew solemn and His pleasure in me diminished. He wanted to give me the gift. He already had it wrapped and prepared just for me, but my attitude grieved His heart. He had to withhold his blessings from me and to try again another day to interact with me.

I lived in frustration. I saw the gifts…peace, joy, honor, stability, kindness, financial security and cherishing love. They rested in God’s hands just a few short feet from my reach. I wanted them so much. I yearned for them. I clutched at them repeatedly, but I never quite attained them. They stood aloof, just a bit further than my arms could reach.

Then, I learned what God yearned for from me all along. He did not want me to grasp, but to receive His gifts. He wanted me to sit quietly with expectancy, my hands open, but waiting patiently in my lap. He desired for me to want Him more than His gifts, to light up in His presence, not simply because of His presents. He taught me to live in the moment as He gave it to me, rather than living in regret over the past or hungry for abundance in the future.

The result of learning this lesson is that my Heavenly Father now spoils me rotten. I receive priceless gifts from His hands many times throughout the day. The first was serenity, which I originally looked for in all the wrong places with all the wrong people. Achievement, which I once took for granted, took on a precious new aura now, because I actually felt the power of God’s Spirit using me. Financial security came as I learned to give cheerfully and spend frugally. The Body of Christ became my family and took on the role of my parents, children and siblings. Close relationships came from the most unlikely places.

Then, there were the many smaller gifts, which took on a whole new meaning for me because I actually took the time to notice them. The moon shimmering on the lake, the tinkling giggle of a child, the effortless flight of birds across the sky, meaningful shapes in the clouds, a phrase from a song that spoke to my heart, a lonely flower growing from a crack in the sidewalk, a warm hug from a friend, a cheerful email or phone call, a request to pray for a friend, a question to answer from a new Believer, the perfection of a rose, a smile from a stranger, a sale at the retail store, the purr of my cat and the wag of my dog’s tail. All of these and so much more are special gifts from my Heavenly Father who loves me more than He loves Himself.

God went on to give me contentment in the circumstances in which I found myself living. He trained me to adapt, to compromise my desires, to adjust to changing situations and to survive devastation. He instructed me to freely give His love to others as He gave it to me. He guided me to walk in His footsteps of peace and fulfillment. He gave me a vision of eternity and caused me to trade my finite thinking for eternal values. He taught me to focus on each moment as if it was the last one I would have.

He loves you just as much as He loves me. He keeps us as the apple of His eye (Psalm 17:8). He makes us more than conquerors (Romans 8:37-39). He rejoices over us with gladness and exults over us with singing. He quiets us with His love (Zephaniah 3:17), and He takes away all of our anxiety and fears, because He cares about us so much (1 Peter 5:7). He has plans to bless us and He gives us a future filled with hope (Jeremiah 19:11).

Prayer:

Father God, we humans are so ungrateful. We cry and complain that we do not have what we think we need. We grasp at Your promises and claim them for our own, rather than sitting back and receiving from You our daily bread. We rarely even thank You for sending Jesus to save us from hell and to make us a part of Your eternal family. Lord God, we thank You from the bottom of our heart. We receive all that You desire to bless us with and we thank You for providing it in Your timing and in Your own way.

Thought for the Day:

Patience and gratitude open the way for receiving.

 

 

 

 

Thank you, Susan Holsinger, for the use of your photo.