Tag Archive | purpose

Proverbs 16 – Wise in your own eyes? Think twice…

Jul6

Good afternoon y’all. Happy Monday 🙂

Today we are continuing our study of Proverbs. We are in chapter 16.

I identified 3 P’s from today’s chapter. Be blessed as your read 🙂

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1) Planning

Do we consult God before making plans, no matter how small or big they may be?

Few verses in the chapter stress the fact that we need to consult God before making plans.

“Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word”. (Proverbs 16: 1 MSG)

“Put God in charge of your work, then what you’ve planned will take place”.(Proverbs 16: 3 MSG)

“Commit your actions to the lord , and your plans will succeed”.(Proverbs 16: 3 NLT)

“We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it”.(Proverbs 16: 9 MSG)

“Make your motions and cast your votes, but God has the final say”.(Proverbs 16:33 MSG)

We can make plans but God has the final say. That’s why it’s crucial we partner with Him for all our plans.

God is Omnipresent, Omnipotent and Sovereign. He knows it all. He’s been to the future. He can decide to allow our plans be successful or not. It is pride that makes us believe we can plan outside of God. Truth is, everything in our lives only happen because God allowed it. It’s not by our own strength.

James says it well in James 4:13 -16

“Look here, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we are going to a certain town and will stay there a year. We will do business there and make a profit.” How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone. What you ought to say is, “If the Lord wants us to, we will live and do this or that.” Otherwise you are boasting about your own pretentious plans, and all such boasting is evil”.(James 4: 13 -16 NLT)

When we put God in charge, there is a guarantee from verse 3 that He will make our plans successful.  Who better to partner with and have as a planner and director than God himself; The creator of Heaven and earth; The one who knows everything and nothing takes Him by surprise.

Psalmist says in Psalm 127:1 that except the Lord builds a house, the labourers labor in vain.

Don’t let all your hard work be in vain. Commit all to God. He is interested in every area of our life.

2) Purpose

Everything has a purpose in life. I don’t believe in coincidence but I believe in God – incidents. According to verse 4 nothing happens by chance. It’s because God has designed it that way.

“God made everything with a place and purpose; even the wicked are included—but for judgment”. (Proverbs 16:4 MSG)

“The lord has made everything for his own purposes, even the wicked for a day of disaster”.(Proverbs 16:4 NLT)

All has a purpose plus the good and bad. Nothing is wasted in Gods economy. Even the people we struggle to live with are there for a purpose. Perhaps they are in our lives to teach us patience or help us learn to truly forgive and love unconditionally.

I pray God will help us see each situation in our lives from His perspective and help us find purpose in everything.

3) Pride
God doesn’t like pride, arrogance or pretense. People who exhibit this behaviour will be put in their place by God.

“God can’t stomach arrogance or pretense; believe me, he’ll put those upstarts in their place”.(Proverbs 16:5 MSG)

“First pride, then the crash— the bigger the ego, the harder the fall. It’s better to live humbly among the poor than to live it up among the rich and famous”. (Proverbs 16:18-19 MSG)

“Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall. Better to live humbly with the poor than to share plunder with the proud”. (Proverbs 16:18-19 NLT)

It is better to humble ourselves than for God to humble us. Ask king Nebucadnezzer and he will tell you how he wish someone had told him this before he started pumping himself up and boasting in his strength. God deflated him so fast with a good humbling experience in the wilderness living like a wild animal. When God was through with humbling him, he didn’t need anyone to convince him about who is in charge. He had learnt his lesson the hard way. Nebucadnezzer went on to say this about God in Daniel 4: 34 – 35

“After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored the one who lives forever. His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’”. (Daniel 4:34-35 NLT)

I pray we would learn to humble ourselves before God.

Verse 7 is not part of the Ps as such but I love the truth in the verse 🙂

“When God approves of your life, even your enemies will end up shaking your hand”. (MSG)

“When a man’s ways please the Lord , he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him”.(KJV)

I pray our ways will be pleasing to God and if we are engaging in any activity that doesn’t make us pleasing to God, I pray God will have mercy on us and give the grace to turn away and restitute our ways.

Thanks for joining today. Pls feel free to share your thoughts on the chapter.

Have a blessed day basking in God’s goodness 🙂

***With God all things are possible***

Genesis 25

Oct22

Good Morning y’all. Happy midweek 🙂 Today we in chapter 25 of Genesis. In this chapter, Abraham dies and Esau sells his birthright for a meal.

Be blessed 🙂

Abraham died at a ripe old age after living a long and satisfying life.
In a nutshell Abraham lived a fulfilled life. I ask myself what it means to live fulfilled. According to Google, the definition for fulfilled is to be “satisfied or happy because of fully developing one’s abilities or character”. In order to live fulfilled, we must know what our purpose in life is – what we were created to do. Abraham was satisfied in God. He walked with God and God blessed him and brought to pass the promises he made concerning him. His satisfaction didn’t come from material things rather from His relationship with God knowing that He alone is able to provide and meet His needs.

Friends are you fulfilling purpose? can you say you are satisfied in life? Satisfaction and fulfillment can only come from a personal relationship with God where He begins to reveal to us His plans for our lives and gives us the grace to walk in them. If we do not know what our purpose is, good news is we have a God who is ever ready to reveal it to us. All we need do is ask him. We don’t have time to waste living aimlessly. Ephesians tells us to make the most of the opportunity you have.
Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. (‭Ephesians‬ ‭5‬:‭16-17‬ NLT)

Friends, It’s time for us to step into our destiny. Abraham was 75 yrs old when God called him and he was 175 yrs when he died. That means 100yrs of walking with God and fulfilling purpose!. Absolutely awesome!  It’s never too late friends. We too can make that decision to start living in Gods purpose and we will see God do wondrous things in and through us. Be encouraged 🙂

V21b says Isaac prayed for Rebecca and the Lord answered his prayer. How awesome!  Notice Isaac didn’t moan or wallow in self pity. He took the situation to the one he knew has power to change/fix the situation. Friends, God still hears and answers prayers. He has not changed. Hebrews tell us that He is the same yesterday, today and forever. Let’s start talking to God about our problems rather than moaning and He will hear us. In Jeremiah, He promised us he will answer when we call.
Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will answer you. (‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭12‬ GNT)

Jacob and Esau oh my! Right from the womb the two of them have been competing. Isaac loved Esau, Rebecca loved Jacob. Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. His birthright wasn’t important to him at all. He gave it up conveniently without thinking twice. He let is current need dictate his action and as a result he made a decision that impacted and altered the cause of his life. He was shortsighted….lived for the present moment and didn’t think about the future or the implication of his action. I like the way the message version summarises Esaus action in Hebrews. I believe the verses speak for themselves
Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God’s lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. You well know how Esau later regretted that impulsive act and wanted God’s blessing—but by then it was too late, tears or no tears. (‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭16-17‬ MSG)
Friends what gift of God are we trading for a short term appetite or for few minutes of pleasure/gratification? Let’s turn to God and ask for his mercy and grace to be led by his spirit and not our flesh.

Prayer:
Dear Lord we thank you for today. We ask for the grace to walk in obedience and fulfil the purpose for which we were created. For as many of us who do not yet understand our purpose, we ask that you will please reveal them to us. Lord, we also ask for your mercy for the times we have traded your gifts for short term appetites. Pls restore us and give us the grace to be led by your Spirit at all times. We thank you for reminding us again that when we call on you, you always answer us. We love you Lord. In Jesus Name. Amen

Thanks for joining today. Pls feel free to leave your thoughts on the chapter.

Have a fulfilled Wednesday and Remember to walk in the Spirit 🙂

***With God all things are possible***