I love you and there is nothing you can do about it!


God has a tremendous promises for us. Among other things, He says:


He has a plan to prosper us, not to harm us (Jer 29:11);

that all things will work for our good (Rom 8:28);

that He has prepared good works in advance for us to do (Eph 2:10); and

that we can do all things through Him who gives us strength Phi 4:13)


We know that God has a plan. We know it's a good plan. We know the plan is specifically for us. We know that the plan is do-able. So what is our response? Shall we participate in the plan, or instead say "I'll pass". As I said to my friends recently, there is only one question - "want or don't want".


If your answer is "I want", then the next step of course is to discern God's specific plan for us. For different people, this may present different challenges.


Some of us have received a promise long ago, but are still waiting for it to happen. A family member's salvation. A healing. Favour in the workplace. A spouse. What should our response be in such a case? Wait in submission.


Why? Because "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfil?" Num 23:19. What a lovely verse!


Look at Abraham. He first received God's promise when he was 75 years old (Gen 12:4). Twenty-four years later, when he was 99, God renewed his promise (Gen 17:1). Finally, finally, finally, one year later, Isaac was born (Gen 21:5). Good old Abraham waited 25 years for Isaac! But God came good in the end. So friends, if you have received God's promise, keep going - the Faithful One who promises will fulfil!


But some of us don't have this problem of waiting. We have the problem of not understanding why God's plan is the way it is. Why do we lose loved ones? Why do we have to do this uncomfortable "witnessing" business? Why is my leader/boss/father/wife/husband/wife/son/daughter so stubborn/impatient/uncaring etc. Why don't we strike lottery? Kidding (almost!). In short, why doesn't God run my life the way I want it?


Again, look at Abraham. He walked with God even when he didn't understand. He held on to God's promise of a child even when he was incredibly old. He left his home country even though he didn't know where he was going for sure. And years later, when it was time for Isaac to find a wife, he was still so certain of God's promise of a fruitful land for his family that he sternly instructed his servant not to bring Isaac back to his old homeland, but rather to bring a bride back for Isaac (Gen 24:6-8).


Friends, even when His plan doesn't seem right according to our own wisdom and our own desires, His plan is still the best plan we could ever hope to have. Stick to it!


Finally, sometimes it's not that we are waiting for a promise, or that we don't understand the promise. We don't want the promise! I don't want to have lots of friends to bless! I don't want to go on mission trips to spread the news! I don't want to complicate my work relationships with God! I don't want to multiply my time and resources for God!


Friends, Abraham had the biggest prize of all. His son Isaac, for whom he had waited 25 years. Yet Abraham chose to worship even when he couldn't afford it. He elected to sacrifice Isaac. It was relatively easy for Abraham to give away Ishmael, because Ishmael wasn't his big prize. But Abraham proved he could also do it with Isaac. What about us? We may be prepared to give away our Ishmaels. But what about our Isaacs? Let's choose to give our best to God. He is no man's debtor.


For FCBC readers, a final promise to remember. In the Bible, the diviner Balaam is remembered as a wicked man (2 Pet 2:15). Yet even he said in Numbers 23:20
(following on from Num 23:19 which is quoted above):


"I received a command to bless; he [God] has blessed, and I cannot change it."


How powerful! We have received a command to bless. God has blessed. We cannot change that!


As God's beloved saints, let's go into our homes and workplaces and demonstrate by our words and actions to our family, friends and colleagues: "I love you, and there is nothing you can do about it!"

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