25TH SEPTEMBER
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”
When things don’t go exactly as you planned, thank God that his goals for you are better than yours!
“Give thanks in all circumstances.” Notice that the Lord is not saying to us today, “Thank me for the nice, pleasant things in your life.” Of course, we should thank him for those things too, but they are just a part of “all”.
It’s good to have goals and to be moving with purpose in your life, but sometimes God’s plans are different than yours. When that’s the case, the Lord wants us not to resent his plans but to recognise that he has plans we know nothing about, and to embrace his plan for our lives with even more motivation than the ones we came up with.
It may mean a change of directions. It may not be comfortable, but if you embrace God’s plans, you will find yourself living out what he made you for. That may not be clear at first, but that’s what faith is all about, isn’t it? Often his plans will have to do with your witness for him.
As you consider your day today, move with purpose to fulfill your God-honouring plans, but hold them lightly, accepting God’s detours and changes of order with joy and thanksgiving. Those you live and work with will be thankful!
MAKE IT PERSONAL
How tightly do you hold onto your plans? Are you willing for God to drastically change them if his plan differs from yours?