(Friends: Most Saturdays for the duration of this year, I plan on sharing a message that relates to the character and nature of God, and our response thereunto. I hope you will find it helpful, and as always, thanks for allowing us to send the devotionals to you. Glen).
The Saturday Series - 18
"The Planner"
God first acts in accordance with His perfect character, nature, and way. "The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and holy in all His works" (Psalm 145:17). Upon this basis, He then works according to plan, namely, to "the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Ephesians 3:11).
Our Heavenly Father never acts arbitrarily, not does any occurrence in creation ever cause Him to deviate from His ultimate purposes. He can work in such manner because "known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15:18). Nothing catches Him by surprise. He has already determined how He will fit every event and exigency into His eternal counsels. Little wonder that the Apostle Paul figuratively fell to his face on the pages of Romans as he considered the inexpressible wonder of the mind of God. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!" (Romans 11:33-34).
Perfect foreknowledge allows for perfect planning of eternal things and also this day in your lifetime and mine. Herein lies another reason to kneel before our Lord. The One to whom we have committed our well being will never be caught by surprise regarding anything that happens in our lives. Nor will He deviate from His loving purpose of conforming us to the spiritual and moral image of the Lord Jesus. This will not always involve the pleasant and comfortable. As the Psalmist wrote, the Lord's arrows sometimes "stick fast" in us (Psalm 38:2). Always, however, He fires them from a bow of love, and from gracious purposes devised in the eternal counsels of His redeeming purpose in the Lord Jesus. Thus, we can trust the guiding heart, mind, and hand of God in all things and at all times. Or, in the familiar words of Paul, "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).
God is the ultimate planner. Moreover, He is wise enough, involved enough, and powerful enough to grant freedom to angels and human beings, see them misuse it, and thereby create chaos. Nevertheless, the Lord will fulfill His purposes without any possibility of failure. Rightly considered, this raises as many questions as it provides answers. How does our Heavenly Father do what He does?? We cannot begin to know, nor do we need to know. We can just be sure that He does, and that God's inexorable fulfillment of His purposes amid the realities of a fallen creation bear witness to His wonder. The Planner has planned, from everlasting. The Planner executes, to everlasting. We rest our hearts in such blessed assurance, and in our Lord's promise of coordinating all things for good in both time and eternity for those who love Him.
"O LORD, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will praise Thy name; for Thou hast done wonderful things; Thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth."
(Isaiah 25:1)
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end."
(Jeremiah 29:11)
Weekly Memory Verse
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
(John 5:24)
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