One Pastor's Perspective

Walking on the Rail Trail is therapy for me … There are surreal moments (like when “You can still rock in America” by Night Ranger comes on and I am walking on an old railroad bed???  Get it??  Think about the video) and there are times when I can just think.  This can be good or bad, depending on my current state of mind.

And, I’ll be honest:  The last two weeks have been very difficult.  I’ve faced things I never thought I’d face.  And I started thinking about the Blind Side.

Not the movie, the concept:  Every quarterback has a blind side.  When he squares to throw the ball, his unprotected back WILL BE EXPOSED for a period of time.  And in life, WE ALL ARE IN THOSE SPOTS AT TIMES.  This is not a pity-party:  I have some of the best friends in the world who I KNOW HAVE MY BACK.  But there are times when circumstances change and you can feel the blind side exposed.  And those times are NOT FUN.

Like I just wrote, I KNOW I have friends who’ve got my back … and I have theirs.  But there are times when all of us are exposed.  There are times when people let  you down.  And you can fret, and you can be disappointed, and you can be angry.  And, honestly, those responses just complicate your situation.

Have you ever stopped to realize that people are FALLIBLE, JUST HUMAN.  They make mistakes and they are imperfect.  THAT IS LIFE.  But if you ever stop long enough to pray about all of this, God might just let you in on a little secret.  He might ask you “why are you depending on PEOPLE to protect your blind side when that is MY JOB??”  (My being said by GOD ALMIGHTY)

If you stop long enough to think and pray about all of this, God DOES have your blind side.  And He will NEVER FAIL YOU.

Many people who are MUCH SMARTER in THEOLOGICAL realms have written many books, papers, and articles about knowing God’s will for our lives.  So why tackle this on a rainy Monday morning in the FloSC??  Because IT’S MY TURN!!  We touched a little on this yesterday in worship and I want to deal with it a little more today …

In Jeremiah 29, God assured the Children of Israel He WOULD bring them back from captivity in Babylon.  Even though life seemed hopeless, there was still hope for them!!

In verses 11-13, God said these words:  “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.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

I believe these words hold true to us as well!!  Even though this was specifically directed to these in captivity, God’s nature rings through loud and clear in this passage:  He has a plan for YOU!!  A GOOD PLAN!!  God desires that you KNOW HOPE and KNOW that He has plans for YOUR FUTURE!!

The discovery of this plan can be as much of a journey as YOU desire it to be … In Pee Dee-speak, you can really BOG DOWN IN THE MUD on this one if you are not careful!!  Finding God’s will for your life is not as difficult as you might imagine!  Sure, there are times when we need a specific answer and God requires us to wait … His timing is ALWAYS PERFECT!

But Jesus gave us a very specific starting place with this, which you will find in Matthew 28 and in Acts 1.  We are called to be IMPERFECT VESSELS carrying the GOOD NEWS of JESUS CHRIST to all the world!!!  We are called to GO MAKE DISCIPLES, to BAPTIZE THEM, TO TEACH THEM EVERYTHING HE HAS TAUGHT US.  And we go with HIS POWER and HIS PRESENCE to do it!!

When it comes to specifics of God’s will for our lives, the real question is HOW does He want me to share and WHERE does He want me to share??  Everything else is pretty clear!

Before I get a million contradictory comments, YES, I KNOW GOD CALLS EACH OF US TO SPECIFIC ROLES AND GIFTS IN THE KINGDOM!!  But you have to admit that it all BEGINS with the GREAT COMMISSION!!

The GC is the first step to knowing God’s specific will for your life!!  Until you take that step and begin to tell others, you will be bogged down in the mud!!

^{Joshua 24:14} “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. ¹⁵ But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Are YOU ready to choose today?  EVERYDAY we make the choice.  Will we serve God, or will we serve OURSELVES??  I believe with all of my heart that God is sick of our lukewarm, selfish choices.  So … WHICH WILL YOU CHOOSE TODAY??

Remember what God told the children of Israel through Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29:11??  “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.”  SO … God has a plan for HIS PEOPLE!!!  If you belong to Him, He has a plan for YOU!!

Easy words to hear, but hard words to live.  Especially when it comes to relationships.  I am one of those who believe that God has a plan for every aspect of your life, EVEN MARRIAGE.  And, if you want to know the fullness and completion a marriage is supposed to bring, you need to find the right partner!!  Paul knew what he was saying when he wrote that we should not be unequally yoked.  The marital relationship should be a reflection of the love, mercy, and grace of God, and bring glory to Him!!

Consider the story of two brothers, each of whom knows Christ.  Each married for his own reasons and on his own timetable.  One of them married young and against the wishes of many friends and family.  He wanted a bride to complete his life.  He did what he thought would make him happy.  (When we pursue our happiness over God’s plan for us, it NEVER works out to our advantage.)  In a couple of decades of marriage, he has endured emotional abuse, separations, infidelities, and much misery.

The other brother took his time.  Sought God’s face about it.  Found a bride who is also a believer.  Marriage, for them, continues to be a great journey.  Now, don’t get me wrong:  They face obstacles, temptations, struggles, and great problems.  But they face each one hand-in-hand, and they work hard to put their hands into the very Hands that formed the world.

These are real brothers.  These are true facts.  Neither has a perfect life, but would you rather walk through the harshness of life WITH God or WITHOUT??

REMEMBER THE PLANS.