God Has a Master Plan
Dr Charles Stanley


A young woman once came to me, with tears streaming down her cheeks, and said, “Pastor, everything in my life is confused. I don’t know whom to believe, what I can count on, or whom I can trust. The ground underneath my feet seems to be shifting at all times. Nothing seems clear or certain.”

She began to tell me her story. Her husband had left her, but he couldn’t really give her a good reason for why he had left. She suspected that there might be another woman in his life, but he denied that. She asked him repeatedly why he had abandoned their marriage, but he gave different and vague answers each time. Various family members and friends gave her their opinions and bits of advice, none of which truly satisfied the ache in her heart or answered the questions that filled her mind. Some of the information given to her was contradictory. Everybody seemed to have his or her own agenda for the situation, and nobody seemed to have any sure answers or reliable facts.

Her life was in chaos.

And her responses to chaos were natural—she was confused and also afraid. Her body language spoke loudly about fear. She sat with her arms folded tightly around her body, her legs were crossed, and she sat hunched over. After listening to her pour out her heart for about twenty minutes, I asked her, “Are you afraid?”

With the tears flowing freely once again, she said, “Yes, I am. I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

I said, “Let’s start at that point because it really is the most critical.” And then I paused a moment. “Let me ask you a question: Whom do you believe?”

She said, “I don’t know. I don’t know if I can believe anybody.”

I said, “What about God?”

She said very matter-of-factly, “Oh, I believe in God.”

I said, “Yes, but do you believe God.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Believing in God and believing God are two different things. Believing in God is saying in your heart, ‘I know God exists.’ Jesus said that even the demons believe in God. But believing God is believing everything God has said about Himself, about us, and about the relationship He desires to have with us.”

She thought about that for a few moments, and then she said thoughtfully and sincerely, “I never thought about it that way. I know I’m a Christian. I’ve accepted Jesus into my heart and I know I’m saved. Is that what you mean?”

I said, “That’s a big part of believing God—to believe that God sent Jesus to be our Savior, to believe that God has made a way for us to be forgiven of our sinful nature, to believe that He loved us so much that He sent His only begotten Son so that we might accept Him and have eternal life.”

She laughed a little nervously and said, “But there’s more, right?”

“Right,” I said. “There’s far more that God has said to us in His Word about the relationship He desires to have with us after we are saved. Let me share a few verses of Scripture with you.”

I opened my Bible to this passage and let her read it:

Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Matt. 10:28–31 nkjv)

I asked her, “Do you believe that God doesn’t want you to be afraid today?”

“Yes,” she said, “based upon what this says, I do believe that God doesn’t want me to be afraid.”

I asked, “Do you believe that God knows all about you—even the number of hairs on your head?”

“Yes,” she said, “I believe that.”

“And do you believe that God knows what is happening to you?”

“Yes.”

“Do you believe that you are valuable to God?”

She hesitated for a moment and then said, “Yes.”

I turned to Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:20 (nkjv): “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

I asked her, “Do you believe that Jesus is with you right now, and that He will continue to be with you every moment of every day for the rest of your life?”

“Yes,” she said, “I believe that.”

I turned quickly to 2 Timothy 1:7 (nkjv): “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

She anticipated my question and said with a genuine smile, “Yes, Pastor, I believe that God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”

“You truly believe that He is going to give you the strength and the love and the wisdom to face this confusion in your life?”

“Yes,” she said. “I believe God.”

Next, I turned to James 1:2–5 (nkjv), which says,

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

I said, “If you don’t know what to do, the only thing to do is to wait and see what God will do and what God will reveal to you. That’s what having patience means. It doesn’t mean to sit and do nothing, but to wait and watch, always looking to God to see what He will do. Do you believe that God’s desire for you in this situation is for you to have patience and to trust Him?”

“Yes,” she said, “I believe that.”

“And do you believe that if you ask God for wisdom anytime you have doubts, fears, or questions, He will reveal His wisdom to you?”

“Yes,” she said.

Finally, I turned to Romans 8:28 (nkjv): “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

I said to her, “You have told me that you love God and that you have accepted Jesus as your Savior. That means you are called according to His purpose. Do you believe that all things are going to work together for your good—that God isn’t going to let anything come out of this ultimately that will destroy you or be for evil in your life?”

She thought for a few minutes, and tears began to form again in her eyes. Then she looked me straight in the eye and said, “Yes, Pastor, I believe that.”

“You believe God is going to be true to His Word?”

“Yes,” she said. “I believe God.”

She left my pastor’s study that day with a different countenance. She had a smile on her face, a boldness to her step, and a confidence in the way she held her head.

What made the difference?

She chose to believe God—to believe that His Word was not only truth, but also true for her and for her situation.

When life’s circumstances and troubles throw us into panic and confusion, all of life feels chaotic. We start asking, “What’s going on? Has God lost control?”

Chaos produces fear in us. No one likes the feeling of things being out of control. The natural response is to be afraid and to have doubts. When those times come, we must remind ourselves of one supreme fact: God has a plan and He is in control.

God Never Loses Control


The disciples of Jesus knew what it meant to experience chaos and to have doubt and fear. One evening Jesus said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”

Jesus had a plan!

The disciples got into a boat with Jesus, and as they made their way to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, a tremendous storm arose. The Bible says, “The waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.” Jesus, meanwhile, was asleep on a pillow in the stern of the boat. The disciples awoke Jesus and said to Him, “Do You not care that we are perishing?” They had doubt. They felt fear. Their universe was in chaos in that storm, and they had no other thought than for the safety of their lives.

Jesus arose and rebuked the wind, saying to the sea, “Peace, be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. Jesus asked His disciples, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” The disciples had no answer. Perhaps they were speechless in their amazement. With a single sentence, Jesus had brought peace to their chaos.

And the very next verse says, “Then they came to the other side of the sea.” (See Mark 4:35–5:1 nkjv.)

The disciples and Jesus arrived just as Jesus said they would. He had a plan, and it was fulfilled.

God works the very same way in our lives today. He calls us to have faith in Him and to believe that He is in charge—that He has a plan and that His plan will be fulfilled. He asks us to use our faith to speak peace to the storms in our lives. He gives us His Word as our confidence, our assurance, that He is in control.

When we are in chaos, we lose sight of hope; we feel we are on the brink of perishing.

When we remind ourselves that God has a plan, and that He is bringing His plan to full fruition, then we grow in hope. We have an increased expectancy that God is in control, and in that lies peace for our hearts and minds.

Just before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus asked His disciples, “Do you now believe? Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace” (John 16:31–33 nkjv).

Jesus had the peace of the Father with Him. He knew that God was in control of all that would happen. And Jesus wanted His disciples to know the same peace and to have the same confidence that God was at work, revealing and executing His plan for the ages.

Do you believe God today? Do you believe He is in control of His plan?



God Has a Plan for All Creation



Have you ever stared in wonder through a telescope? How about a microscope?

You no doubt were amazed at the vastness of God’s creation. Our finite minds cannot fathom the extremes of the universe in which we are so carefully positioned. We stand in awe of the beauty and intricacy of God’s designs.

Those who truly study God’s creation surely must stand in awe of the myriad of interlocking laws, principles, and systems built into creation. God’s creation is not haphazard or in chaos. It operates according to a systematic, rhythmic, cyclical wholeness.

Yes, God has a plan.

God’s plan encompasses not only natural creation, but also the spiritual realm of His created order. And very specifically, His plan involves the spiritual relationship between God and all humanity, including you and me.

God’s initial plan was one of intimate, loving, and unbroken fellowship between Himself and His creation. In Genesis 3:8 (nkjv), we read how Adam and Eve “heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day.” Adam and Eve knew it was God; apparently, that was a normal activity, a regular part of their day. God created Adam and Eve for His pleasure, so that He might have close communion with them. That has been His desire for humankind from the very beginning. It is His desire today.

The Lord God placed only one limitation on Adam and Eve, that they not eat of one particular tree in the garden—the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The fact is, God didn’t want Adam and Eve to know about evil. He wanted them to know only His goodness and the goodness of what He created for them.

God said about His entire creation, day after day, “It is good.” The Garden of Eden was a place of perfection, of God’s abiding presence, and of human perfect dominion and leadership of creation. God knew that evil existed, but He had no desire that Adam and Eve know it.

Why did God give Adam and Eve a choice to sin? Because it is choice—the exercise of free will—that separates humankind from the rest of God’s earthly creation. All other aspects of God’s creation follow the inbred and built-in laws of nature that God established for them. They have no choice to act, respond, or react in ways that are contrary to the way God created them. Humankind is the one aspect of God’s creation about which God said, “Let Us make man in Our image” (Gen. 1:26 nkjv). Just as God has free will and can choose how He will respond and what He will initiate, so humankind received this unique ability from God.

God gave Adam and Eve the option of eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because He knew that if they truly were to be creatures of free will, they must have the ability to choose to obey Him, to love Him, to fellowship with Him. They needed to have the potential for choosing to obey or disobey. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil wasn’t a trick that God placed in their path. Rather, it was a possibility that had to exist if Adam and Eve were to be creatures with free will.

God made it very clear to Adam and Eve that although He was giving them the option, His desire for them—His command to them—was that they not eat of the tree. He underscored His command by telling them the consequences of eating from it: “In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:17 nkjv).

Adam and Eve chose to eat of the forbidden tree. And for the first time in their existence, they knew evil. They knew what it meant to sin, to feel guilt, to feel spiritually and physically exposed to each other and to God, and to feel unworthy in God’s presence. They felt the way that every person after them has felt, and they did what virtually every person has tried to do at some point—they tried to hide from God.

God spelled out the consequences to the serpent that had lied to and tempted Eve, and the consequences to Eve and to Adam. The consequences were just as He had foretold. They were to live from that moment on with hardship—with a knowledge of evil—and with the fate of death. On the day Adam and Eve disobeyed, they began to die. The curse of death was on them. Every day, they would be reminded of their mortality, and especially so through the pain and weariness they felt in their bodies.

God did not act, however, without mercy toward Adam and Eve. He made “tunics of skin, and clothed them” (Gen. 3:21 nkjv). The tunics helped them to face a world that was going to be covered with thorns and thistles. But they also had another meaning.

In making the tunics, God shed blood. Why? Blood is an evidence of life. (See Gen. 9:4.) From the earliest days, humankind recognized that a flow of blood was equated with life. The things that had the pulse of a heartbeat and that were capable of bleeding were things that were different from the land or vegetation in God’s creation. God gave Adam and Eve a perpetual reminder—a sign as close to them as their own skin—that He was the Author of life, so that even as they walked from the Garden of Eden into a cursed world, with a death sentence on them, they would recognize that God had designed them to live. They were always to look to God and remember God as the One who had created them for life.

When Cain and Abel offered sacrifices to God, the blood sacrifice of Abel was acceptable to God. Why? Abel recognized that all life came from God and all life was owed to God. Cain gave to God the fruit of his labor, a gift of his work. It was as if Cain was saying to God, “Look what I’ve done. Here’s a part of my work, given to You.” Abel, on the other hand, was saying to God, in effect, “I recognize what You have done and what You alone are capable of doing. You are the Life-giver. I am privileged to be a part of Your work, to tend the sheep that You have given to me.”

This message related to life itself is the theme that runs from cover to cover in the Bible. God is the Source of all that gives life and all that is life. God desires that His life be our life. The commandments that God gave to us were intended to spare us from hardship and the ravages of a sinful human heart; they were intended to bring us closer to His heart so that He might shower us with His love and forgiveness. God wants us to acknowledge that we can’t make it on our own. We need His life imparted to us in order for us to live day by day. We didn’t create ourselves, and we can’t sustain ourselves; He alone is God. He alone is Life. Apart from Him, we die—both naturally and spiritually.

God in His Word continually called people to face this reality and turn to Him to receive His love and forgiveness for their sinful state, which they inherited from Adam and Eve. In the Old Testament, God made a provision for relationship to be restored through the sacrifice of animals, especially sheep. The Day of Atonement—a ceremony that brought restoration and reconciliation between God and His people—was all about the shedding of blood, the putting away of sins, the acknowledging of God alone as the Life-giver.

In giving a final challenge to them before they crossed into the land God had promised them, Moses said to the people of Israel,

I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them. (Deut. 30:19–20 nkjv)

God’s desire has always been and still is that we choose life! That is His plan.

Jesus said of Himself, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 nkjv). His very purpose for coming to the earth and for dying on the cross was to bring us squarely back to the desire of God’s heart from the beginning: God created us to have fellowship with Him and to be in a relationship with Him that is not marred by evil and its resulting rebellion, sin, and separation.



The New Covenant



Do you ever feel distant from God? Do you wonder about your relationship with Him?

God knew that would be the state of the human heart, and He made a provision for a new relationship to be established between Himself and His beloved creation.

In Luke 22:19–20 (nkjv), we read this about Jesus: “And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’ Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.’” Jesus was speaking to them about something new that was about to happen—the institution of a new covenant. Jesus came to die for our sins and forgiveness, and as part of His death and resurrection, He established a new life-covenant with humankind.

The Nature of a Covenant

A covenant is a divine agreement between God and humankind. God is the initiator of covenant promises. He is the only One in a position to establish a covenant with us. We can make promises, or vows, to God, but He alone has the authority and prerogative to make covenants with us.

There are about three hundred references to covenants in the Old Testament. Jesus referred to only one covenant in the Gospels: the new covenant described in Luke 22. Covenant was of vital importance to the Jewish people, but covenants throughout God’s history with His people changed. The covenant that Jesus established through His death on the cross is a lasting, definitive, and complete covenant. It does not change. It is the covenant God has made with you and me. It is God’s plan.

In the Old Testament, God first made a covenant with Noah:



Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, “And as for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. Thus I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God said: “This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; and I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” (Gen. 9:8–16 nkjv)



The Two Types of Covenants



There are two types of covenants. One is a conditional covenant—in other words, if you do one thing, this is what I will do; if you do another thing, then this is what I will do. Conditional covenants hinge upon the behavior of humankind and, very specifically, our willingness to obey God.

The other type is an unconditional covenant. An unconditional covenant does not depend upon humankind’s response. God has said what He is going to do, and it shall be done, regardless of the obedience of human beings. The covenant that God made with Noah was an unconditional covenant. So was His covenant with Abraham when He said about the land of Canaan: “To your descendants I have given this land” (Gen. 15:18 nkjv).

In most cases, God established His covenants with the shedding of blood. He did that with Abraham, causing a burning torch to appear and move among the pieces of the sacrificial offering that Abraham had made to God. (See Gen. 15:9–17.)

When God gave the Law to Moses, He established the sacrificial system as a means for humankind to enter into relationship with Him. Hebrews 9:18–20 (nkjv) tells us,



Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood. For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people, saying, “This is the blood of the covenant which God has commanded you.”



When Jesus spoke of a new covenant, He spoke of the shedding of blood, and the next day He fulfilled and established this covenant through the sacrifice of His life at Calvary. He became the definitive sacrificial Lamb of God whose blood was shed for the sins of the world.

At the time of Jesus’ crucifixion, the veil in the temple tore from top to bottom, opening the way for all people to have direct access to God the Father. Up to that time, only the high priest had direct access to God in the holiest part of the temple, and then, only once a year. Jesus’ death made it possible for people’s relationship with God to be restored fully, openly, and perpetually.

In the book of Hebrews, we read, “Now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises” (8:6 nkjv). The covenant that Jesus established is better than the old covenant that required continual blood sacrifices. The new covenant is based upon the onetime shedding of Christ’s blood.


For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Heb. 9:13–14 nkjv)

Jesus has become the guarantee or “surety” of this new and better covenant. (See Heb. 7:22.)

The new covenant was foretold by those living under the old covenant, especially the prophet Jeremiah who said,

This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. … I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more. (Jer. 31:33–34 nkjv)

Note especially that we come into accord with God’s new covenant not through outer sacrifices, but through inner believing. God’s new covenant brings about a change of heart; it is written on our hearts. Those who enter into this covenant know to keep it and want to keep it.

How much can we count on this covenant? Jeremiah also gave us that answer:


Thus says the Lord,

Who gives the sun for a light by day,

The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night,

Who disturbs the sea,

And its waves roar

(The Lord of hosts is His name):

“If those ordinances depart

From before Me, says the Lord,

Then the seed of Israel shall also cease

From being a nation before Me forever.”

Thus says the Lord:

“If heaven above can be measured,

And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath,

I will also cast off all the seed of Israel



For all that they have done, says the Lord.” (Jer. 31:35–37 nkjv)

God says that His promises are so trustworthy that only if the sun, moon, and stars shoot out of their orbits have we reason to doubt God will remain true to His covenant.

The writer to the Hebrews provided a graphic description of the difference between the old and new covenants. He likened them to two mountains—Sinai, from which the Law of Moses was given, and Zion, the end of which was Calvary on which Christ died:

For you have not come to the mountain [Sinai] that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest, and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. … But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. (Heb. 12:18–24 nkjv)

Our call today is not a call to the old Law of Moses, with its sacrifice of animals, but a call to an acceptance of Christ as the One who brings us into a fully reconciled relationship with God, the Life-giver and the Eternal Life-giver.

God’s plan through Christ Jesus is the plan that God has established for us today. Through believing on Him, we have eternal life. Jesus said,

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16–17 nkjv)


God’s Plan Is One of Grace

When we accept Jesus Christ as Savior, we experience God’s grace.

Grace is a word that remains a mystery to many people, including Christians. Here is my definition of grace: grace is God’s kindness and graciousness toward humanity, without regard to worth or merit of those who receive it, and without their deserving it.

Out of His infinite heart of love, God gives us what we don’t deserve and haven’t earned. That’s grace.

In our sinful nature, we deserve death. We are the heirs of Adam and Eve. We inherited their nature and the consequence of death. We are born with a seed of rebellion in our hearts. We do not live in the perfection of the Garden of Eden; we live in a world that is fallen and in chaos. Death and its forerunners of stress, emotional turmoil, daily toil, pain, disease, hardship, and the wear and tear of aging are common to all of us. We are sinful, and we are deserving of death.

But in God’s great love, He has provided a means for us to receive life—to receive what we don’t deserve and cannot earn. God sent Jesus to die in our place so that we might live. That’s grace!

God’s Plan Is Unfolding


Jesus accomplished on the cross everything that needed to be accomplished for the salvation of humankind. There is no more that Jesus needs to do.

On the cross, Jesus defeated the grip of sin on the heart of humankind.

In the Resurrection, Jesus defeated the power of death over humankind.

By His death and resurrection, Jesus defeated the hold that Satan has on humankind.

Why then is humankind still struggling with sin, death, and the influence of Satan? Because humankind as a whole has not accepted what God provided through the sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

God gave. But we, as the whole human race, have not received.

This is true not only on the large scale for all of humanity, but also on the individual scale. Everything that God intends to give us, He gave us the moment we were saved. The full provision was made for our salvation, our eternal life, our wholeness in spirit, mind, and body. God does not parcel out salvation, deliverance, or wholeness to us bit by bit. God makes salvation completely available through Jesus Christ—and not only to specific individuals, but to all who will receive and believe in Jesus Christ as Savior.

Jesus made that very clear by saying, “Whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16 nkjv). That word whoever includes everybody. No person is excluded from the opportunity to believe and receive everlasting life. Jesus did not say that those who believe would receive a down payment on everlasting life or a promise of everlasting life that they would have to work to fulfill. They receive everlasting life, period.

Why don’t we become perfect people instantly upon accepting Christ Jesus? Because we haven’t yet matured spiritually to have the capacity for the fullness of His perfection at work in our lives.

Consider a newborn baby. That baby has the full capacity to become a unique and very special adult. All of the genetic code necessary for the baby to grow and develop was given to her even before her birth. There is no more genetic code the baby is going to receive or develop as she grows. Rather, she is going to grow according to the genetic code that is already in place.

The newborn baby has the potential to be able to walk, talk, make decisions and solve problems, decipher fractions, hold a pencil, read a book, give a speech, and display thousands of other skills. But the newborn baby doesn’t manifest all of these skills immediately upon birth. Some intellectual skills are developed to coincide with physical maturity; other skills are built upon one another like building blocks. Many skills require the copying of behavior that has been modeled for the growing child, and subsequent practice on the part of the child.

The same is true for us spiritually. God has given us all of the Holy Spirit at the time we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. We will need to grow up, however, before we will manifest certain traits, spiritual qualities, and spiritual fruit in our lives as spiritually mature individuals.

The grace of God at work in our lives unfolds to us as we are able to experience it. All of God’s gifts are deposited into our spiritual account, but as we grow in Christ, we have the ability to access the riches of His glory. It is as if the fullness of God’s gifts to us has been put in a trust account on our behalf—just as a parent might set up a trust fund for a child, a fund the child cannot access or spend until he has reached a certain age. The Lord knows not only what we need, but also what we are able to handle.



The Fullness of the Time



In Galatians 4:4, we find the phrase “the fullness of the time.” The maturity of the individual seems to be parallel in many ways to the maturity of God’s people as a whole. In my ministry, I’ve seen entire congregations “grow up” over time in their understanding of God’s Word and the ways in which they manifest their spiritual maturity in loving outreach to the lost and needy. They reach a place of readiness for God to use them in more dynamic and powerful ways to bless others.

I’ve also seen this at work in the lives of countless men and women in ministry positions. When I look back on my life, I see this very clearly. As a young pastor in my twenties, I would have had very little ability to do the work of ministry that I do today. I had the energy and the desire to do what I do today, but I didn’t have the wisdom, understanding, or depth of compassion then that I have today. That is true for every person I know. God moves us from place to place, from situation to situation, from experience to experience, to “grow us up” so He can use us more.

As long as we are willing to yield to His methods and are willing to grow and change, He will find greater and greater ways to use the talents and abilities that He gave us at our birth, as well as the spiritual gifts and potential in Christ that He gave us at our spiritual birth.

God has a precise timetable for the history of the world. He alone knows when one period in history will end and another will begin. Jesus said of His own return, “Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only” (Matt. 24:36 nkjv).

We can know with certainty that God is working and waiting and watching, always in the process of wooing His children to Himself and of preparing us to receive what He has already prepared for us.



Christ’s Sufficiency



What does this mean to us as individuals who are struggling with life’s problems?

First, it means that we can take heart that God is at work in us, and He is working through us, to accomplish His purposes. We are a part of His plan. He has a specific role for each of us to fill, and He is developing each of us to fill it.

Second, it means that we need to look only to Christ to prepare us for what is happening and what will happen in this world.

So many people seem concerned these days with the state of the world and with predictions about when Christ will come again. Our primary concern, however, should be with our state of readiness and preparedness for His return. Will we be the people He wants us to be when He comes again?

Jesus told a parable about prayer and faith:



There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, “Get justice for me from my adversary.” And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, “Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.” … Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:2–8 nkjv)



Jesus gave the parable to those who were trusting in themselves and who felt themselves to be righteous, even though they despised other people. Certainly, it is a word for us today when so many are assuming they are “right with God,” even though they have never accepted Jesus as their Savior and are very critical of those who have.

When we look at the state of the world and the future of the world, we should be reminded to focus on our hearts. When the Lord looks at us, does He see a people of prayer? Does He see a people of faith?

In making the statement that Christ is our sufficiency, our total provision, for meeting the challenges of the world today and tomorrow, I am not denouncing our need for material preparation, for education, or for living in full accord with God’s commandments. God expects us to live orderly, prudent, and pure lives. I am saying that we need have no fear—and really, very little concern—for what will happen in the future.

God’s plan is His plan. He will execute it according to His timetable and His methods. We are a part of His plan. We can do nothing to change God’s plan. In fact, the only thing we can do is to prepare ourselves spiritually for the realization of His plan.

Paul taught the Colossians, “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power” (Col. 2:9–10 nkjv).

In Christ, we have the potential for all the preparedness we need to face, and to withstand, any evil in the world today and any evil that may come in the future. In Christ, we are made ready, we are equipped, for any crisis or circumstance that may come. He is our full security, our complete provision, and our total defense.

I recently heard about a Christian man who had started stockpiling various resources that he felt sure he would need in the coming years because he saw a future filled only with doom and gloom. He believed the world’s economy was on the verge of collapse, and he envisioned a life in which he would need to hole up and rely upon his stockpiles of food, water, generators, and other material provisions in order to be able to survive the dark days ahead.

Our defense against evil is not one that we can anticipate fully in the natural or material world. Our only complete defense is in Christ Jesus. He is the only defender against evil that has been or ever will be truly victorious in all situations and circumstances. Jesus said, “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him” (John 6:27 nkjv).

The children of Israel wandered in a wilderness, but their shoes didn’t wear out, even though they wandered there for forty years. When the children of Israel needed water, God supplied it. When they needed food, He sent manna. When they needed guidance, He gave them a very clear and present witness to lead them by day and by night. When they were surrounded by enemies, He delivered them. His means were sovereign and supernatural, and His provision was complete and sure. We can trust the Lord to do the same for us anytime we face evil. Ultimately, there is no defense but the Lord, and only as we trust and obey Him completely are we prepared for what may come our way and for what God will do on our behalf.

We must be ready to move in a moment’s time, sensitive to His leading and guidance, quick to respond to His call. That state of readiness and preparedness in the Lord is a mark of spiritual maturity. And God desires that state for His people—both individually and collectively. We must be ready to walk into the fullness of God’s plan for the ages and for all humanity at the moment He calls us to act.



God’s Method for Fulfilling His Plan



God’s foremost method throughout the ages has remained the same. His method for wooing and winning humankind to Himself, and therefore, His method for aligning His people with His plan for the ages, has been love.

God took the initiative in extending this love to us when we were still sinners. He continues to take that initiative day by day as He leads us through the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us. He calls to us in love, saying, “Receive what I have to give to you. Do what I am leading you to do, so I may pour out even more blessings upon you. Speak My words of love to others. Act with love toward those in need. Be My agent for love on this earth. Be the recipient of My great love in your life.”

A too prevalent perception of God is one of judgment. Many people I know who are still living in a state of sin regard God as a great judge who is quick to pronounce punishment upon them. Many believers also continue to carry this perception of God in their hearts, even though they have experienced God’s forgiveness.

Why is this false perception of God so prevalent?

Because we haven’t responded to God’s love. We haven’t fully opened ourselves to receiving all of the love He longs to pour out toward us.

Have you ever seen a movie or a real-life situation in which a person was about to be hit by someone who was much bigger and much stronger, or who had a huge stick or rod in his hand? The person about to be hit probably cowered and cringed, and perhaps even curled up like a ball in hopes of defending himself as much as possible against the anticipated blows. Many people adopt that position before God. They keep waiting for the blows. If they would only uncurl themselves and look up into the face of their heavenly Father, they would find that God the Father looks exactly like Jesus, His Son. They would find themselves staring into eyes filled with infinite and overflowing love. They would find themselves facing outstretched arms of warm embrace. They would hear words of comfort, affirmation, and encouragement.

Our inability to experience God’s love is much like our inability to experience the fullness of God’s power working in us; we haven’t yielded ourselves to His love. We have closed ourselves to God and put up a do not touch, do not enter, do not trespass sign against Him.

That doesn’t keep God from loving us. He continues to love and to love and to love. He will send His love to us in any way He can find to send it.

I heard about a woman who became the foster mother for a child who had been badly abused. The four-year-old boy threw terrible temper tantrums the minute any adult tried to come close to him. He refused to be touched or held and became stiff as a board anytime his foster mother or foster father picked him up.

This woman said, “One day I went into this child’s room and closed the door behind me and said to myself, ‘I’m not leaving until I have a breakthrough with this child.’ No sooner had I closed the door behind me than Buddy began to run furiously around the room, yelling at the top of his lungs, even though I sat calmly in a chair and didn’t make a move either toward him or away from him. He finally collapsed into a whimper in the corner of the room, where he curled up into a little ball and covered his head with his hands and arms, as if to ward off what he thought were going to be blows. I didn’t move. I continued to sit in my chair and to say softly to him, ‘Buddy, I love you. I’m not going to hurt you. I love you. I’m not going to hurt you.’

”It took a long time before Buddy opened his eyes and began to peer out from under one arm to see what I was going to do. More minutes passed. When he saw that I hadn’t moved and that I hadn’t changed my message—I was still saying, ‘Buddy, I love you. I’m not going to hurt you’—he uncurled his little body and sat staring at me from the corner. When he did that, I got up and left the room quietly.

“I repeated this for two more days. Each day Buddy went through the same routine of running and yelling, but for shorter periods of time. On the fourth day, I took a large doll with me into the room and cuddled it as I sat in the chair talking in soothing tones to Buddy. I continued to say, ‘I love you, Buddy. I’m not going to hurt you.’ I also added, ‘Wouldn’t you like to come and sit with my doll and me?’

”By the seventh day, Buddy had decided that he’d like to sit with my doll and me. He allowed me to pick him up and hold him, stroking his hair and talking gently to him. He was still stiff as a board in my arms, but at least he allowed me to hold him. By the tenth day, he finally relaxed fully in my arms and actually went to sleep while I gently rocked him.

“I’ve never had a foster parenting experience that moved me more deeply. Buddy was with us for almost three years before he was adopted by a family who has loved him greatly during the last several years. Best of all, Buddy was ready to receive their love and give them his love. He had learned to trust other people to love him, and over those three years with us, he also learned that those who love also chastise, but that they never abuse.”

Is God calling to you today, “I love you; I’m not going to hurt you”? His method for reaching out to you is love. His method for perfecting you is love. The form His love takes may appear to be chastisement, but it is never abuse. His love molds you; it doesn’t break you.

God is not out to destroy you, but to woo you to Himself. His desire is not to destroy the world, but to win the world.

God’s plan is one for ultimate good. Paul wrote to the Romans about God’s redemptive plan for all creation,



I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (Rom. 8:18–21 nkjv)



God has a plan for the full redemption of us as individuals, for all humankind, and for all creation. It is a plan that moves us from corruption to purity, from bondage to liberty.

Once you catch sight of God’s plan and uncurl yourself to receive God’s love and to participate in God’s purposes, you can’t help experiencing hope. You’ll find that you are quick to say,



I have hope because God has a master plan for good for all His creation and I am a part of it, now and every day to come.

This article is swiped off CNA's website... so if u want to know where i got it from k...

Mel Gibson's Christ film divides Hollywood ahead of opening


LOS ANGELES : Hollywood stars were Tuesday sharply divided over Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ," as controversy whipped up unprecedented anticipation of the movie a day ahead of its US opening.

Screen and television stars broke their silence on the movie depicting the last tortured hours of Jesus Christ as Christian church groups were treated to special advance screenings of the movie that has been kept tightly under wraps.

"I think it's a very bold stroke and I admire him for doing it," legendary movie maker and screen tough-guy Clint Eastwood told ET entertainment television.

The film, which opens on Ash Wednesday on 4,000 screens across the country -- almost double the 2,500 originally planned by the distributors before the film became the hottest topic on primetime television -- has been slammed by some Jewish leaders as anti-Semitic.

"I haven't seen it yet, but it's a pretty impressive marketing job," commented "Basic Instinct" star Michael Douglas of the unprecedented chatter over the film which has been preceded by very little traditional advance publicity, relying on the controversy to sell it.

"Shame on him (Gibson)," said actress Jane Kaczmerek who stars in the hit television comedy "Malcolm in the Middle"

"Anyone who uses his (Jesus') name to incite hatred should be ashamed of himself. The story of Christ is a wonderful story to tell, but if you incite hatred you are not doing a service to anyone," she said.

Another top US television star, Kelsey Grammer of "Frazier" and "Cheers" fame, said he accepted Gibson's insistence that the film in any way incites hatred against Jews, once blamed by some for the death of Christ.

"I can't imagine there's anything anti-Semitic about it, but if they care to make that a vehicle, then okay," he told ET.

One of the stars of the movie, Italian-born actress Monica Bellucci, who plays Mary Magdalene in the film, staunchly defended Gibson's choice to portray the crucifixion in a violent, straightforward manner.

"The life of Jesus is brutal. The life of Jesus is violent, so this film is a violent movie," she said. "I think this is a violent movie against violence.

"I think Mel Gibson's very strong, and I'm sure he knew (it would stir up controversy) from the beginning, so he's a very courageous man. He did something that he really believed."

On Monday night church groups were invited to special screenings of the film, with some of the invited movie-goers in Hollywood seen filing into theatres with buckets of popcorn in one hand and bibles in another.

"The bible is just for reference purposes and in case anyone has any questions, I'd like to try to help them," said one fan of the film, Adrian Alonzo.

Pastor Paul Riese of Los Angeles' Calvary Chapel said he hoped the film would help resurrect religious fervour among non-practising Christians.

"Maybe they can see something like this and maybe they would then like to go back into the fellowship of the church," he said.

- AFP

Copyright © 2004 MCN International Pte Ltd


**My Thots**

so if this film is rated R(A) by our local censors...then how ah....do we watch it...hahaha...another food for thot thingie eh

Aprayer from Max Lucado

Dear Friend,

In these uncertain times, there is one certainty: we have a good God.

When much of the news is bad, there is one good report: we have a
loving God.

When the future is unpredictable, there is one assurance: we have a
sovereign God.

God's thoughts are not our thoughts, nor are they even like ours. We
aren't even in the same neighborhood. We're thinking, "Preserve the
body;" he's thinking, "Save the soul." We dream of a pay raise. He
dreams of raising the dead. We avoid pain and seek peace. God uses pain
to bring peace. "I'm going to live before I die," we resolve. "Die so
you can live," he instructs. We love what rusts. He loves what endures.
We rejoice at our successes. He rejoices at our confessions. We show
our children the Nike star with the million-dollar smile and say, "Be
like Mike." God points to the crucified carpenter with bloody lips and
a torn side and says, "Be like Christ."

Our thoughts are not like God's thoughts. Our ways are not like his
ways. He has a different agenda. He dwells in a different dimension. He
lives on another plane.
And our God is in control, he loves all of his children, and "his
unfailing love fills the earth" (Ps. 33:5). Nations war with one
another. In our own worlds, we encounter pain, difficulty,
disappointment. My prayer for you in the days ahead is that you will
stay strong in the confidence that our sovereign God loves and cares
for you.

May God bring peace to our world and our hearts.

Prayerfully,
Max Lucado