Food for Thought
"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".
-Jeremiah 29:11
Sitting in the hospital can be any of a number of different experiences.....some good, some not so good. When it is quiet, the patient is sleeping, and no one is around, it can be a time of introspection. I guess that's where I am today. Introspecting......is that a word? The point is, hospitals make you think about life. What it is, what it should be, what it could be, and how it all turns out. Deep, huh?
Again, since I am so into coincidence, (not), I was also "coincidentally" exposed to two teachings/writings about what one does with this life. So, even though I was not planning to write a Journey post right now, Someone Else apparently had other ideas.
The first, well actually the second thing I saw pertaining to this was in the book "Revolution in World Missions" by Dr. K.P. Yohannan. He is the founder and international director for Gospel for Asia, the organization that sent me the book. I just started reading this book, and the first part is the story about how Dr. Yohannan came to do the things he has done in the ministry. His mother was a praying mother, and for years she had begged God that one of her 6 sons would become a preacher. It looked as though that was not going to happen, because all but the last one were apparently going into secular work. And, if her hopes were built on HIM, it was highly unlikely. Her last child was shy, kept his faith to himself, had no leadership ability, and avoided groups in school. And yet, when something seems impossible, that's when God does His best work. Her youngest went on to be the above-named Dr. Yohannan. In the early days, he spent a month in Singapore at an institute started by John Haggai. He was asked by Rev. Haggai to write down one sentence telling what he was going to do with his life. The stipulations were that it could not be worldly or self-centered, and had to give glory to God. After agonizing over that challenge for days, this became his goal for his life. To find out and accomplish the one thing God had planned for him to do. He still regularly remembers Haggai's quote , "One thing......by God's grace you must do one thing."
The first thing I heard today was only the beginning of a sermon on the radio. I don't even remember who was preaching, but I do remember this sermon was one in a series of "Big Issues in
Christianity." The title of the sermon was something like " Is it proper to share your beliefs with
others? " Of course the point of the sermon was resoundingly, "YES!" But what does that have to do with everything else I'm pondering today?
If we believe the Bible is the word of God, and I'm assuming all who read this do, then we have to believe every part of it. In Ephesians 2:10 the Bible says:
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
We all are His workmanship, and we all have a job to do for Him. But how many of us completely miss it?
Dr. Yohannan says in his book that Americans are so tied up in their culture of abundance, they don't have or take the time to look for God's purpose in our lives. While we dream of the next 'gadget' we are going to buy, there are millions of God's children in the world who are suffering from extreme poverty and in danger of dying without the gospel.
So what does that mean? Should we all go be missionaries, sell all we have and give to the poor, or start a world-wide organization as Dr. Yohannan did? I don't know. But I do know there is an individual plan for each of us that God has prepared. And it is up to us to be responsive and try to figure out what that plan is.
So I guess that's where I am today. Sitting in a hospital looking at "life" issues, I am thinking about my life. Am I in line with what the Father has planned? Do I know what my 1 thing is? It is my belief that it can be a great big, splashy, world - wide job, or as simple as sharing my testimony with others. So I am going to contemplate this, pray about it, and continue seeking until I'm comfortable with my understanding of what He's planned for me. What about you? Do you know His plan to give you hope and a future? Think about it....before you end up contemplating in a hospital. Wouldn't you hate to miss the point of your life? Food for thought........
-Jeremiah 29:11
Sitting in the hospital can be any of a number of different experiences.....some good, some not so good. When it is quiet, the patient is sleeping, and no one is around, it can be a time of introspection. I guess that's where I am today. Introspecting......is that a word? The point is, hospitals make you think about life. What it is, what it should be, what it could be, and how it all turns out. Deep, huh?
Again, since I am so into coincidence, (not), I was also "coincidentally" exposed to two teachings/writings about what one does with this life. So, even though I was not planning to write a Journey post right now, Someone Else apparently had other ideas.
The first, well actually the second thing I saw pertaining to this was in the book "Revolution in World Missions" by Dr. K.P. Yohannan. He is the founder and international director for Gospel for Asia, the organization that sent me the book. I just started reading this book, and the first part is the story about how Dr. Yohannan came to do the things he has done in the ministry. His mother was a praying mother, and for years she had begged God that one of her 6 sons would become a preacher. It looked as though that was not going to happen, because all but the last one were apparently going into secular work. And, if her hopes were built on HIM, it was highly unlikely. Her last child was shy, kept his faith to himself, had no leadership ability, and avoided groups in school. And yet, when something seems impossible, that's when God does His best work. Her youngest went on to be the above-named Dr. Yohannan. In the early days, he spent a month in Singapore at an institute started by John Haggai. He was asked by Rev. Haggai to write down one sentence telling what he was going to do with his life. The stipulations were that it could not be worldly or self-centered, and had to give glory to God. After agonizing over that challenge for days, this became his goal for his life. To find out and accomplish the one thing God had planned for him to do. He still regularly remembers Haggai's quote , "One thing......by God's grace you must do one thing."
The first thing I heard today was only the beginning of a sermon on the radio. I don't even remember who was preaching, but I do remember this sermon was one in a series of "Big Issues in
Christianity." The title of the sermon was something like " Is it proper to share your beliefs with
others? " Of course the point of the sermon was resoundingly, "YES!" But what does that have to do with everything else I'm pondering today?
If we believe the Bible is the word of God, and I'm assuming all who read this do, then we have to believe every part of it. In Ephesians 2:10 the Bible says:
"For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
We all are His workmanship, and we all have a job to do for Him. But how many of us completely miss it?
Dr. Yohannan says in his book that Americans are so tied up in their culture of abundance, they don't have or take the time to look for God's purpose in our lives. While we dream of the next 'gadget' we are going to buy, there are millions of God's children in the world who are suffering from extreme poverty and in danger of dying without the gospel.
So what does that mean? Should we all go be missionaries, sell all we have and give to the poor, or start a world-wide organization as Dr. Yohannan did? I don't know. But I do know there is an individual plan for each of us that God has prepared. And it is up to us to be responsive and try to figure out what that plan is.
So I guess that's where I am today. Sitting in a hospital looking at "life" issues, I am thinking about my life. Am I in line with what the Father has planned? Do I know what my 1 thing is? It is my belief that it can be a great big, splashy, world - wide job, or as simple as sharing my testimony with others. So I am going to contemplate this, pray about it, and continue seeking until I'm comfortable with my understanding of what He's planned for me. What about you? Do you know His plan to give you hope and a future? Think about it....before you end up contemplating in a hospital. Wouldn't you hate to miss the point of your life? Food for thought........
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