June 16, 2016 WE KNOW
Ephesians 1:9-10: “God has allowed us to know the hidden purpose of His plan. It was His loving design to give history its fulfillment by uniting all things in Christ, things in Heaven and things on Earth…”
To think that we can know the “hidden purpose of His plan” is an awesome thought! We do not know because we are brilliant, but we know because He has “allowed” us to know. God has a goal, and He has a master plan for all of creation that is moving toward that goal; and God has revealed His plans to His people. Even though we may not understand in detail everything presently taking place on the world scene, we do know the big picture and we know that God is using current events to further His plans. At the heart of God’s master plan is the redemption and the restoration of fallen man. Man, apart from God, is lost and his life is one of searching for what only God can give. Wars, greed, selfishness, disease, -all of the “bad” things we see going on in the world-come as a result of man rejecting God and going his own way which leads to spiritual, and eventual physical death. This fact is made clear in Proverbs 14:12 when it says: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” In Isaiah 53:6 we read: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us have turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” But even in the midst of all of the chaos and brokenness and darkness in the world, God is at work, restoring those who love Him to a relationship with Him. Jesus came to this dark world demonstrating the kingdom of God, opening the door for the redemption and restoration of man. Even though he may not believe it, the one who does not know God remains in darkness, not able to see “His loving design to give history its fulfillment by uniting all things in Christ, things in Heaven and things on Earth.” God has not left His people ignorant of what He is doing as we read in 1 Corinthians 2:10: “But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. The Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.” As His followers, it is important that our world view be established in the truth of the plans and purposes of what God is doing; if not, we will find ourselves discouraged and confused as we observe the chaos around us. Someone rightly said: “Before reading the morning newspaper, make sure you have the right world view.” If we want to see the plans of God at work, if we want to make sense of history, and if we want to be encouraged even in difficult times, let us be students of the scriptures, let us have a heart to know God in deeper ways, and let our view of life be consistent with God’s view of life. Rest assured, in spite of what we see, God’s master plan is right on target, and always has been, and we will see all things united in Christ!
Ephesians 1:18-19: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”
Blessings,
Buddy
Ephesians 1:9-10: “God has allowed us to know the hidden purpose of His plan. It was His loving design to give history its fulfillment by uniting all things in Christ, things in Heaven and things on Earth…”
To think that we can know the “hidden purpose of His plan” is an awesome thought! We do not know because we are brilliant, but we know because He has “allowed” us to know. God has a goal, and He has a master plan for all of creation that is moving toward that goal; and God has revealed His plans to His people. Even though we may not understand in detail everything presently taking place on the world scene, we do know the big picture and we know that God is using current events to further His plans. At the heart of God’s master plan is the redemption and the restoration of fallen man. Man, apart from God, is lost and his life is one of searching for what only God can give. Wars, greed, selfishness, disease, -all of the “bad” things we see going on in the world-come as a result of man rejecting God and going his own way which leads to spiritual, and eventual physical death. This fact is made clear in Proverbs 14:12 when it says: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” In Isaiah 53:6 we read: “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us have turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” But even in the midst of all of the chaos and brokenness and darkness in the world, God is at work, restoring those who love Him to a relationship with Him. Jesus came to this dark world demonstrating the kingdom of God, opening the door for the redemption and restoration of man. Even though he may not believe it, the one who does not know God remains in darkness, not able to see “His loving design to give history its fulfillment by uniting all things in Christ, things in Heaven and things on Earth.” God has not left His people ignorant of what He is doing as we read in 1 Corinthians 2:10: “But it was to us that God revealed these things by His Spirit. The Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets.” As His followers, it is important that our world view be established in the truth of the plans and purposes of what God is doing; if not, we will find ourselves discouraged and confused as we observe the chaos around us. Someone rightly said: “Before reading the morning newspaper, make sure you have the right world view.” If we want to see the plans of God at work, if we want to make sense of history, and if we want to be encouraged even in difficult times, let us be students of the scriptures, let us have a heart to know God in deeper ways, and let our view of life be consistent with God’s view of life. Rest assured, in spite of what we see, God’s master plan is right on target, and always has been, and we will see all things united in Christ!
Ephesians 1:18-19: “I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe.”
Blessings,
Buddy
RSS Feed