Your Destiny

And we know that in all things ... (Rom 8:28).

I find such rest and comfort in this verse when I am faced with situations that I cannot understand. Though I may be a reasonably intelligent person, I simply do not possess the capacity or ability to fathom the breadth of God’s ways or the depth of His love (Ecc. 11:5). Disappointments, setbacks, and things that I just do not understand take place and I become concerned, or worried, or get upset, and then the Holy Spirit reminds me of this verse and I am greatly comforted:

... God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Rom 8:28).

There are some who believe that before the beginning of the world, God chose certain people to receive His gift of salvation. They point to verses like Ephesians 1:11. Others believe that God foreknew those who would respond to Him and upon those He predestined. What is clear is that God's purpose for people was not an afterthought; it was settled before the foundation of the world. Man was made for God. Man can never be satisfied until he is in union with God. Man is incomplete without God. We were made to serve and honor God. If you have believed in Christ, you can rejoice in the fact that God has always known you. God's love is eternal. His wisdom and power are supreme. He will guide and protect you until you one day stand in His presence.

Making The Right Choice
The circumstances surrounding your life may not have been perfect. Your mother may not have wanted a child. Your father may not have been there for you. Your father may have been an abusive alcoholic or physically abusive, or both, but everything in Christ Jesus can be redemptive. God knew you and predetermined a purpose for you. You may have been told that you were an accident. But in the mind of God you were planned, wanted, and predestined to be a part of His family. It is important to understand that all of God's plans are based on foreknowledge – God foreknew and predestined believers to be like Christ. Romans 8:29 says:

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined.

What that means is that because God knows you, your desires and choices, He can plan accordingly. You are not a puppet on a string, manipulated by some unseen heavenly host. Your will is a part of God's plan for you. Remember, everything in Christ Jesus is redemptive if you purpose to learn something from it.

This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live (Deut. 30:19).

God foreknew your choices, but He still leaves you with the right to choose. For example, He knew the person you would choose to marry. Based on that choice, God planned a destiny for you that will work within your marriage. He has led you, influenced you, and directed your steps when you did not even recognize it. Once you choose, that person becomes a part of God's plan for you. Things do not happen because of fate, chance, luck, or happenstance. In fact, if you are a believer, these words should not even be in your vocabulary.

The Bible makes it abundantly clear that God knew you before you were born and His plans for you are good:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. To the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. To be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment--to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will (Eph. 1:3,6,10-11; Jer. 1:5).

God's Destiny For You
The word destiny is virtually absent in today's Christianity. It brings many thoughts and questions to mind. It is almost thought of as something mystical. Still, committed followers of God should be interested in their destiny. Destiny can be defined as a course or path in life that a person seeks to take.

Some believe that one's destiny is an act of fate or a result of chance. They think they have no control over their life's course or outcome. But the Bible teaches both that God has planned a wonderful life and destiny for you and that you have a responsibility to discover and live it:

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps (Proverbs 16:9)

Our role is to discover and live in God's desired destiny for us. There is a goal He desires you to accomplish. You can begin this process today, taking positive steps toward your destiny.

Achieving your destiny is a process. It can be compared to a running back’s job in a football game. His team begins on the 20-yard line. His destiny is the goal line, 80 yards away. His immediate destiny is a first down, just ten yards away. As he gains yardage, he's achieving his destiny. But he won't achieve his ultimate destiny until he gets the ball all the way across the goal line.

Step by step, you can move along your destiny path. As you do, you are fulfilling your destiny. Ultimately, your touchdown is to hear Jesus say:

Well done, good and faithful servant (Matthew 25:23).

Such a simple thing, to fully believe that the Lord our God will bring us through all the difficulties, trials, heartaches, traps, and tricks of life, to that place where we stand ready to enter into our inheritance; not only to enter in, but to be ready for it - that God may express through us what it means to be a son of God.

You are not going to always understand your circumstances. There are going to be many things that will happen to you of which, though you do your best, you are not going to be able to understand or have an answer. And when you come against that which you cannot understand, it is important that you have certain foundations that you do understand and believe. What do I understand? I understand that God loves me. How do I know? The Bible tells me so. I understand that God is wiser than I am. I understand that God is in control of all of the circumstances that surround my life. As such, anything that happens to me only happens to me because God has allowed it to happen to me. It could not happen to me unless God did allow it to happen to me, and God loves me and is working out what is best for me. As a result, I can rest in the most uncomfortable places. I rest in faith that God will use these events for my good and to His glory..

Grow in grace and truth,

Doug Morrell

CORE Notes From Doug