How Do I Know God's Plan for Me?

 

And Mary said. Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. Luke 1:38a

From the time we are old enough to play fireman and baby dolls, we are asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” That’s really the wrong question.

Mary was unique in that she was to become the mother of our Lord. That was God’s plan for Mary. Actually, God has a unique plan for each of us. Mary is the example of the type of person we want to be. She has some qualities about her that allowed her to be strong and go through tough times to fulfill God’s plan for her life. It wasn’t the pretty Christmas picture of Mary and Joseph and the babe sweetly lying in a manger with halos all around. Mary’s first priority was to be the handmaid, the servant, of the Lord. That should our first priority as well.

What qualities did Mary possess that helped her follow God’s plan?

• She demonstrated by her purity and her righteousness that she wanted to love and serve God.
• She demonstrated a desire to live with a divine purpose. Malachi 2:15 would have been a familiar verse to her . . . That he might seek a godly seed. . . . She saw her purpose as raising up children to the Lord.
• She demonstrated that she put the Lord above everything and everyone else because she risked family, friends and fiancé to be the mother of God’s Son.  

We all have our ideas about what we want to be; a fireman, a policeman, a teacher, a nurse, etc. but the real question is, “What is God’s unique plan for our lives?” If we, like Mary, possess these qualities we will know God’s plan; not necessarily by an angel’s appearance, but by God’s direction through His Word.

Want you let us know how God is showing you His unique plan for your life?

I am currently reading The Women of Christmas by Liz Curtis Higgs. Her book is the inspiration,along with a little plagerism, for today’s blog. Hope you get a chance to read it as well for more insight into God’s unique plan for each of us.

Dead or Alive

Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? II Corinthians 6:14

Take a magnifying glass and examine a starfish. Feel its rough texture. Notice the small star-shape on the very top. Now turn it over. See the mouth in the center? Tentacles run down the length of each arm or ray. On the tip of each arm there are light sensors so the starfish can tell if it is light or dark. I doubt if we can actually see the light sensors in its hardened state. Just think, once this beautiful starfish was soft and pliable. It had no bones and pulled itself along over rocks and shells and anywhere it wanted to go. It wrapped itself around tightly closed shells and with strong arms pulled the shells apart for tasty morsels of clams and mussels and other shellfish. Now it lies motionless on the beach or in a shell arrangement. Its strength is gone, its light sensors put out. Its part in the food chain of life is finished.

There was once a man whose strength was renowned. He pulled down the gate of a walled city. He killed a lion with his bare hands. He knew the Light of the World but he played in the edges of darkness. Playing on the edge of darkness caused Samson his strength and his sight. It cost him his ability to do great and mighty things for God. Samson was used to pull a mill. He was taken into a temple of a false god. He spread his feet and arms like the starfish and bowed his head. With a mighty prayer he pulled down the columns of that temple and destroyed more of the enemies of God in his death than he had in his life. How much more could Samson have accomplished for God had he not entangled himself with friends who did not know God?

How often do we entangle ourselves with the things of this world? We choose friends that we think will make us popular but we fail to befriend those who would strengthen our spirit.  We busy ourselves with technology but forget to look into God’s Word. Our eyes are put out to the Truth. We play on the edge of darkness with the friends we choose and the things we allow in our minds through our eyes. Will we one day find ourselves hardened by the darkness, unable to affect the spiritual lives of the lost because we have lost our own spiritual lives?

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. II Corinthians 6:1

A Cherokee's Love

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13

Got any Indians in your closet? Family history says my great grandmother was a Cherokee. I haven’t found a way to prove it but the outward appearance says it’s probably true – black hair, chocolate brown eyes, dark skin, no sunburn. Since we only live about 2 hours from the NC reservation, my dad took us to see the outdoor drama of Unto These Hills when I was a kid. It was the first time any of us had ever seen it. It broke our hearts to see how one man gave his life for his people. Because of Tsali, the Cherokee hiding in the mountains of NC were allowed to stay. Those already  surrendered were taken on the Trail of Tears to Oklahoma. Kermit Hunter did a great job in writing the drama so we don’t forget the sacrifices people have always made for the freedoms we enjoy.

Funny thing happened one year when I was planting a garden. A friend of mine gave me a handful of black beans. She said they came off the flea market in Sylva, NC. The seller called them Black Wax beans. I planted them, watched as they put on beautiful purple flowers and made long pods of pole beans. They tasted pretty good too! The next year I searched the bean catalogs and on line for Black Wax beans. I couldn’t find a thing. Then I saw a picture of Cherokee Trail of Tears beans. The description was exactly the same as my Black Wax. It also gave a little history. The Cherokee women hid the beans in their hair or in their pockets for food and seed when they walked the Trail of Tears. Could the seeds I was given be seeds left in the mountains with those for whom Tsali died?

Tsali died for the love of his people, to save them a place in their land. It got me to thinking, Jesus died because of his love for us, to save us a place in heaven. Tsali killed a soldier in defense of his wife. The soldiers made a deal to let the Cherokee stay if Tsali gave himself up. He knew he would be shot. Jesus committed no sin or offense against the Jews or the Roman army or anyone. He was without sin, yet He and God the Father decided before the world was made that He would give his life for us, so we could receive eternal life.

I still grow Cherokee Black Wax beans in my garden. It reminds me of why I get to live here instead of Oklahoma. It also reminds me that Jesus willingly gave His life so I get to live eternally with him. What reminders has Jesus given you of His eternal love for us? Won’t you share your experiences on our blogsite?