September 27, 2004

Reading through the Bible in one Year: Proverbs 26-27

Weekly Memory Verse: Ephesians 2:10

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

I am excited about this study that we are doing.  I think it will be refreshing to all of us to see just how God views us and how that we fit into His plan.  The second chapter in the book continues the thought that Rick started in the first chapter, with a different twist.  If it is all about God, then God does not make mistakes, therefore you are not an accident. 

Isaiah 44:2 (NASB95)
² Thus says the Lord who made you And formed you from the womb, who will help you, ‘Do not fear, O Jacob My servant; And you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.

Psalm 138:8 (NASB95)
⁸ The Lord will accomplish what concerns me; Your lovingkindness, O Lord, is everlasting; Do not forsake the works of Your hands.

In today’s world we have forgotten that God created each one of us.  He not only hand picked us as believers, He designed us and placed us in a unique position as believers in Him.  When I read through the book, one objection that I saw possible is someone who has disabilities.  Does this mean that God has designed us with flaws?  Many would argue that God would not plan to create someone who was not perfect.  Perhaps we don’t understand His plan at all, when He designed us, our disabilities and physical limitations were specifically designed to mold our character into what God wants us to be.  In the verses that are quoted, God not only designed us, He determined every single aspect of our lives before we even came into existence.   

Psalm 139:15-16 (NASB95)
¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; ¹⁶ Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

Acts 17:26 (NASB95)
²⁶ and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation,

Ephesians 1:4 (NASB95)
⁴ just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love

James 1:18 (NASB95)
¹⁸ In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

Isaiah 45:18 (NASB95)
¹⁸ For thus says the Lord, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), “I am the Lord, and there is none else.

Isaiah 48:3-4 (NASB95)
³ “I declared the former things long ago And they went forth from My mouth, and I proclaimed them. Suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. ⁴ “Because I know that you are obstinate, And your neck is an iron sinew And your forehead bronze,

1 John 4:8 (NASB95)
⁸ The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

Romans 12:3 (NASB95)
³ For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. ^[1]

Consider this, God planned us before He even created the world.  We were so important to God that He specifically designed the earth to be habitable for life.  It was specifically designed to maintain and support the life of humans.  As a matter of fact, God planned every aspect and even considered the result of sin in our lives.  He made it a point of  considering all the variables when He created us.  When you really consider what Rick says in this chapter, I don’t believe that anyone could believe in any form of evolution.  The only thing that exists in the world is God’s plan for the lives of men.  Life does not just happen, He ordains it.  We are all special to Him and we are custom created to fulfill His desires.  Think of it as if you order a custom built house or custom built automobile, He built into each one of us every area and every special purpose in our lives.  I shudder to think of how God views people who commit abortion and kill His kids before they are born.

If God created us, then life is created for purpose.  If the Bible is true, then God created us with hope and with meaning. 

I would encourage each of you to get the book, “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren.  If you can’t afford it, let me know or ask to borrow it from a friend.  This study will be much more powerful if you follow along with the book.

Father, praise You for the purpose that You have built into each of our lives.  Praise You that You custom made each of us for Your purpose.  Praise You that none of us are accidents, but rather planned before You even built the earth.

In Him,

Joe Turner.

Hi

If God created us, then life is created for purpose.  If the Bible is true, then God created us with hope and with meaning”

How do one discovered this purpose . Will I be correct to say that the main purpose for everyone is to make heaven and draw as many to Christ as possible. I have come to believe that this is about all the purpose we came to accomplish on earth. If this is truth why then is it so difficult to get this done and at the same time fulfill earthly obligation like our profession etc.

Or

One goes about his daily normal life , continue to walk with God and that is all about one’s purpose since God has already created the purpose even before we were born

Personally , I want to believe one’s purpose in life is using one’s talent to glorify God and contribute to Humanity. That , once one can identify his purpose in Life , he /she won’t have much problem again and will live a very happy life.  I have been praying for God to reveal HIS  Purpose in my life . What kind of self examination do I need to do to get to know this purpose….or I should continue to “ watch and pray “ until I  identify my purpose …..This is an issue I really want to be educated on as most often I feel guilty that despite the fact that I am doing well in my career , in my community and Christian life, I still feel I have special talent I am not using and fearing this might be a pointer to what God wants me to use me for HIM. …

Hope you can have a glance at the way I am thinking ..looks like I  am missing certain things ???

Thanks for your help , I cant want to have that book . God bless

Bunmi