Sunday, September 14, 2008

Does God have a plan for me?

Almost everyone says 'I want to do such-and-such when I grow up.' Or 'I'm going to be a so-and-so when I grow up.' But how many people say, 'I'm going to be/do what God wants me to be/do when I grow up.'?

What is your answer when people ask what you want to be when you grow up? Mine is usually 'A writer.' I realize now that this is the wrong answer. The answer to what I truly want to be when I grow up is, 'I want to be like God.' Another correct answer: 'I want to be whatever God wants me to be.'

But how do we know what He has planned for us? Does he have a special plan for us? But we have the choice of what we want to do, don't we? You may be thinking right now. Well, yes, you do have the choice. Of course you can choose what you want to do with your life. You can always ignore God, and do what you want, because you want to, or you can listen to Him, and take the path He planned for you.

But sometimes we take God's path without knowing it. Maybe your parents didn't hear God telling them to marry each other, but it still happened right? It was still the Lord's plan. Maybe you're thinking, 'But wait, that doesn't make sense. Didn't you just say that I don't have to follow the course He planned for me?' Yes, I did. I also just said that they didn't do it on purpose. Do you read a lot of fiction? Some stories will have prophesies, or things like them.

'What?!? You're crazy, prophesies are just made up. They're not real.' Is probably what you're thinking now.

And my answer is; No, of course they're not real. But my point is that their future is all planned out for them. It's like that in real life, too, only God is the one doing the planning. Do you get my point now?
But how we know that God has a plan for us? We don't. It's just a feeling, just something some of us seem to know. I don't know how, and I don't think I ever will, but that is what faith is.

As for me, I plan on following the path He made for me, wherever it may lead. I have a feeling it is going to have something to do with writing, which is one of my strong points. And as for you, you have a choice on what to do. It's not my job to tell you what to do, and I can't really influence your choice. All I can do is hope and pray you will chose to follow the path He made, too.

Now, if you want to follow the path He laid out for you, here is what I have to say.

Sometimes the Lord shows you the path in very obvious ways. Other times it may just be a feeling that drives you. I felt He wanted me to share His love with the world, but at first I was not sure how. When I had this idea, I got a very strong feeling that it was something I should do. Sometimes God will call people into ministry, (preachers, missionaries, etc.) and other times he doesn't. Maybe he wants you to just live a 'regular' life, to raise a good family, have a job, and be a good Christian. Maybe he doesn't. You are the one who has to find out.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Believing vs. Living For God (Believing #2)

Please note: As you read this post, please remember that these are my thoughts and opinions on this topic. Yours may be very different then mine, and that's okay. Please don't get angry if you think something I am saying is blasphemy or just plain wrong. Instead, please express these thoughts/opinions in the comments; I would love to hear someone (and anyone!) else's opinion on this topic. Thank you!

This is a continuation of last week's post, Believing in God. In this post, we will discuss the differences between believing in the Father, and serving the Father. And there is a difference. So here it is.

Do you remember how Jesus died on the cross to save the world? Well, he died to save you. Yes he was saving the whole world, but you are part of the world, aren't you? And even so, I feel sure that he would have died for only you, too. Because He loves you, and always will love you. He'll always be there for you, and he always has, whether you realized it or not. He has blessed you so much, with so many things. How can you ever say enough thank-you's? You can't. But instead, you can serve Him.

Just because you believe in our Heavenly Father, does not mean that you love Him. The Devil also believes in the Lord. But believing is the first step. Because you can't serve God without believing in Him! (That would be really hard. LOL) Serving is the second step. If you love the Father, and feel like you aren't doing enough to thank Him, then you should do this.

Serving Him means that you love Him, and worship Him. It means that when He tells you to do something, you do it, no matter how impossible or unlikely it seems. It means that you pray to Him everyday, and that you read your Bible, to find out how you should act. It means trying to do what's right. Serving Him means that you tell others about His love.
Pastors or priests serve him, as you know. But there are so many other ways. God has graced some people with the talent of singing or playing an instrument. Some people are blessed with writing talents, non-fiction and fiction alike. Some people aren't afraid to get up in front of people and give speeches about God's love. Others have sewing or designing talents that they use for good. Everyone serves Him differently, and His plans for everyone are different.

Believe it or not, only a few months ago I was doubting God too. I was beginning to think He wasn't real, even. Before that, I hadn't been much of a Christian, even though I had been raised as one from birth. I had never prayed,or read my Bible, and I wasn't really following God's word. A few simple events changed that. When I realized that God was real, and that he loved me, and forgave me, I also realized that I wanted to serve Him, and let Him lead me.
I prayed to Him, and told Him so. I invited him into my heart and life. If something like this happens to you, and you decide you want to be a Christian, tell me. I would be overjoyed to hear it.

Thank you for reading this, and I hope you liked it. Please express your thoughts of it in the comments.

Jessica