How's it going? Good? So-so? Not so good?
I hope it's great - and if it's not - then I sure hope (and pray) it gets better for you :)
Today we continue with our Crazy Decisions discussion, and break out Roman Numeral I - realizing that there is a Greater Plan out there in the world. Let's dive right in...
(I apologize for the formatting issues...they have a mind of their own and I haven't figured them out yet)
Crazy
Decisions
Learning to make
knowledgeable decisions and having peace with them
And Letting go of the
worry in your daily life
I. The Realization That There is a Greater Plan
a.
In
this world and in our lives there is a bigger picture – a bigger plan in
motion that we are just a part of – God's Plan
i)
Yes,
there is a big God out there, an infinite (immeasurable), omnipresent
(ever-present), and omnipotent (all-powerful) being, who created all things, and
has pre-thought out plans and purpose for all these things.
*In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…Genesis
1-2.
These 2 Chapters explain the Creation.
*“Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all
about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for
you: A prophet to the nations— that’s
what I had in mind for you.” Jeremiah 1:5
* “For I know the plans I have for
you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to
harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
* Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them
came to be. Psalm 139:16
ii)
This
infinite, omnipresent, and omnipotent God loves
us – His creation – more than we can imagine, and in ways we, in our finite minds
cannot comprehend. **
**
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with loving-kindness.” Jeremiah 31:3
** God’s love is meteoric,
his loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic,
his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost;
Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks. Psalm 36:5-6 (The Message)
** Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the highest mountains, your justice like
the great deep. You, Lord, preserve both people and animals. Psalm 36:5-6 (NIV)
** God makes everything come out right; he puts victims back on their feet. He
showed Moses how he went about his work, opened up his plans to all Israel. God is sheer mercy and grace; not easily
angered, he’s rich in love. He doesn't endlessly
nag and scold, nor hold grudges forever. He doesn't treat us as our sins
deserve, nor pay us back in full for our wrongs. As high as heaven is over the
earth, so strong is his love to those who fear him. And as far as
sunrise is from sunset, he has separated us from our sins. As parents feel for
their children, God feels for those who fear him. He knows
us inside and out, keeps in mind that we’re made of mud. Men and women don’t
live very long; like wildflowers they spring up and blossom, But a storm snuffs
them out just as quickly, leaving nothing to show they were here. God’s love,
though, is ever and always, eternally present to all who fear him, making
everything right for them and their children as they follow his Covenant ways
and remember to do whatever he said. Psalm 103:6-18 (The Message)
**(I
realize that many of you here may take issue with that Scripture – Psalm 103:6-18. There was a time in my life when I did
too. But what I know is this – When we love the Lord and try to follow His plans
for us, this does not exempt us from trouble or crisis in our life. But from my own experience I know that
through all my ups and downs, victories and defeats, loves and losses, when I
chose to reach out to God, He faithfully showed me His presence, comforted me
through friends, loved ones, and loving support, and carried me through each
time, when sometimes I would otherwise have stayed in bed and withered
away. God is faithful, He will make
things right again after the storms. He
loves all of us (even the bad folks) enough to not force any of us to live as
he would like us to (yes, free will), but instead allows us to live as we
please, which causes trouble and strife for others around us. But, for those of us who love Him and ask
Him, He carries us through even the most difficult times, and works all things
for a good purpose in the end for us. We will explore this in great detail in a
later blog series. J)
+An easy to use, great resource is
http://www.biblegateway.com/ You can look up Scripture in all different versions, specific topics,
verse of the day, devotions, etc. Handy
reference!
If
you are having a little trouble believing that The Bible is the inspired true Word of God, or an accurate telling
of humanity’s spiritual history, or that this Book holds the answers to all our
life questions, then I would ask you to simply take a moment and ask God to
give you faith. In all sincerity,
verbally, out loud, ask God to help you believe in Him and the Bible as His
Word to us. Ask Him to help turn around
your unbelief, wherever it may linger. And
then believe that He will. If you open
up your heart and earnestly ask Him for anything, He will answer. And, you know - you have nothing to lose by
doing so, and everything to gain!
Next post we will discuss
accepting the fact that we cannot control everything around us or in our lives;
that some things we just have to let go of.
This was (and continues to be – haha!) an extremely difficult
realization for me –
Yes – I confess - I am a control freak!
Boooo!
But I
have to tell you that since I have learned to let go of some things, I
definitely do have more peace. I feel much less stress, less headaches, and I’m
sure I am much easier to be around J
So, I
hope you will read and re-read these Scriptures – these Words from God to us –
and allow them to sink into your heart.
Know that you were not only planned to be a part of this world,
but also with a specific purpose.
And that you are
forever, dearly loved!
When
we let this knowledge sink into our hearts, into our lives, into our every
thought, then we begin to find a peace we have not known before. We begin to see and believe that we don’t
have to stress and worry over every little thing, because God will have it
covered – if we will only trust and confide in Him.
May
you each find Peace and Truth in your journey today, and great gobs of
blessings!
Mindy
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