Southern Baptists are considering questions about women's roles for ministry in fresh ways. I was asked to share my own journey on this subject in the Illinois Baptist recently. Here is that article:
https://ib2news.org/2018/07/26/no-girls-allowed/
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Monday, July 9, 2018
The Difference Between God's Plans and God's Purpose
"What if my dreams do not happen? Will I just change what I told my friends?"
-Twenty One Pilots from "We Don't Believe What's On TV"
We spend too much time looking for God's plans.
It feels like I've spent years looking for God's plans, merely moving from point to point while failing to discover a bigger picture. My wife and I constantly quoted Proverbs 3:5-6 through times of uncertainty, and we have discovered God consistently has plans for our lives even in the most difficult circumstances.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him
and he will make your paths straight.
So I was content to move along the path, believing God for each step.
But in the journey, I forgot about reaching a destination.
I realize my primary goal is not to find God's plans. My primary goal is to live out my purpose.
Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
This is not a promise of God to grant every sin or every whim of every heart.
Taking delight in the Lord comes as we make ourselves more pliable in His hands. We grow in our relationship with Him and we discover our purpose. The desires of our heart mirror His desires for us.
God has made me a teacher. That's His purpose.
Right now, God has made me a pastor. That's His plan.
God's plans are always to shape and mold us as we learn to delight in Him and embrace the desires He has placed within us. Understanding this purpose fuels our dreams for what can be...if we don't fall to fear.
One day, I'd like to be a college professor, teaching students to love and apply the Bible. In the meantime, I see how His current plans are growing and stretching me into my purpose.
-Twenty One Pilots from "We Don't Believe What's On TV"
We spend too much time looking for God's plans.
It feels like I've spent years looking for God's plans, merely moving from point to point while failing to discover a bigger picture. My wife and I constantly quoted Proverbs 3:5-6 through times of uncertainty, and we have discovered God consistently has plans for our lives even in the most difficult circumstances.
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him
and he will make your paths straight.
So I was content to move along the path, believing God for each step.
But in the journey, I forgot about reaching a destination.
I realize my primary goal is not to find God's plans. My primary goal is to live out my purpose.
Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
This is not a promise of God to grant every sin or every whim of every heart.
Taking delight in the Lord comes as we make ourselves more pliable in His hands. We grow in our relationship with Him and we discover our purpose. The desires of our heart mirror His desires for us.
God has made me a teacher. That's His purpose.
Right now, God has made me a pastor. That's His plan.
God's plans are always to shape and mold us as we learn to delight in Him and embrace the desires He has placed within us. Understanding this purpose fuels our dreams for what can be...if we don't fall to fear.
One day, I'd like to be a college professor, teaching students to love and apply the Bible. In the meantime, I see how His current plans are growing and stretching me into my purpose.
- Joseph was an Administrator...yet he spent time as a prisoner.
- David's was a King....yet he spent time as a shepherd.
- Peter was an Evangelist...yet he spent time as a fisherman.
Don't be afraid of your dreams. God has made you and knows what gets you motivated and where you are most useful. Keep seeking the plans of God. Put your trust in God. Take your delight in Him, and watch his plans help you to find the purpose your heart has been longing for.
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