Wide Eyed in Wonder said:Another devotional from my free book, Power 4 Life for ministry and
discussion...Life by Design
Ephesians 2:10 - ESV
"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for
good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we
should walk in them."As I sit here putting together this book, I am aware that
the Great Author of the story of life faced many of the same
challenges in putting together life, itself.He knew, as He sat there putting it together, that there
would be a story of mankind's fall and restoration through
Christ. He knew there would be a deceiver and a rebel spirit
uprising, long before the notion had ever entered the devil's
head. He knew of every war to come, up to the devil's final
one, and how they would turn out.Individually, He knew of each of our birth dates,
marriage dates, promotion dates, dates of trials and
tribulations, and the date we will eventually transition into
eternity's great celebration or punishment.You can imagine the time that the Great Author put into
making our lives work out. When any author writes any
story, they try out one story line after another until they,
finally, get one that works with the rest of the story. God
must have done the same thing, only He wouldn't have
stopped until He had picked the best option, not just one that
worked.Finally, after considering all options and making the
best choices, the Lord closed the book and began the story
by creating the universe.Do you think about your life this way? Do you
understand that the world around you is not chaos in the
process of destruction but is a plan unfolding unto life
eternal? Do you know the plan of Author for your life?Now, our life is not dictated, nor is it from a heartless
planner. Pain, suffering, and death were not supposed to be
part of our lives. However, since Adam, we have been
seeking our own ways, instead of God's way, as if we could
know any better than Him.God knows the best and blessed lives we can have, and
He knows whether, in the end, we will follow that plan or not.
Success in this life comes from matching our passions with
His plan for us, which will result in the most prosperous
future we can achieve.The Great Author and Architect of the universe and all
our days knows of each prayer you will offer and has, in His
story, already assigned the answer to those prayers. So,
pray confidently, serve willingly, and expect great things from
your life.A Word in Season
"Prayers, also, are of avail to procure those things which
He foreknew that He would grant to those who offered them;
and with justice have rewards been appointed for good
deeds, and punishments for sins." - St. Augustine in The
City of God (413-426 AD), book 5.Confession
I believe God prepared a successful plan for my life,
before any life began. I believe God's plan for me is the best
plan possible. I believe He knows every request I will make
in prayer and has prepared an answer for every one of them,
unto His glory and my success.God Bless
Kenny Clifton
-author of the Red Letter Stories
http://www.christianjedi.com/redletterstories.html
Amen and amen !
May GOD continue to bless the writing and discussing of HIS Word in
these USENET newsgroups in Jesus' most precious and holy name.
Amen ! ! !
Will be available to "glow" and chat about this and other things like
cardiology, diabetes, Bird Flu, the 2006 global earthquake advisory,
cooking and nutrition that interest those following this thread here
during the next on-line chat (03/23/06) from 6 to 7 pm EST:
For those who are put off by the signature, my advance apologies for
how the LORD has reshaped me:
Prayerfully in Christ's love,
Andrew
http://tinyurl.com/rgsp8