For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord , thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
Jeremiah 29:11 KJV
God has good plans for His people. Sometimes, however, our sin gets in the way of these plans. The people of Judah had disobeyed God one too many times and God disciplined them by having them conquered by the Babylonians and sent into exile in Babylon. Despite this set-back, our verse for today makes it plain that God still had lofty plans for them.
God still has lofty plans for us as well. Although all of us have, to one degree or another, fallen short of God’s expectations for us, He does not give up on us. This is because we are all “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). God knows the plans He has had for us from all eternity and He is continuously working to bring about their fulfillment in our lives. He may have to discipline us from time to time, but His discipline is not designed to destroy us. It is meant to prepare us to fulfill His plans (Hebrews 12:4-13).
Thus, although God is like the potter who must reshape the clay pot He is working on from time to time (Jeremiah 18:4), He still has the design plan He has had all along. And they are good plans. They are plans meant for our prosperity and not for our harm. We should not allow ourselves to become discouraged because of past failures and because of God’s discipline. We must trust God that His good plans for us stand firm.
Because the plans stand firm, we have hope and a future. Although we may be going through some hard times, although we may be going through some of God’s discipline, there is still hope and there is still a future. We should continue to press forward in the fulfillment of God’s plan for us. He does not give up on us and we should not give up on Him.
You may be in your own personal version of Babylon today. If so, don’t give up, for God hasn’t given up on you. He still has plans for you.
Jeremiah 29:11 KJV
God has good plans for His people. Sometimes, however, our sin gets in the way of these plans. The people of Judah had disobeyed God one too many times and God disciplined them by having them conquered by the Babylonians and sent into exile in Babylon. Despite this set-back, our verse for today makes it plain that God still had lofty plans for them.
God still has lofty plans for us as well. Although all of us have, to one degree or another, fallen short of God’s expectations for us, He does not give up on us. This is because we are all “God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). God knows the plans He has had for us from all eternity and He is continuously working to bring about their fulfillment in our lives. He may have to discipline us from time to time, but His discipline is not designed to destroy us. It is meant to prepare us to fulfill His plans (Hebrews 12:4-13).
Thus, although God is like the potter who must reshape the clay pot He is working on from time to time (Jeremiah 18:4), He still has the design plan He has had all along. And they are good plans. They are plans meant for our prosperity and not for our harm. We should not allow ourselves to become discouraged because of past failures and because of God’s discipline. We must trust God that His good plans for us stand firm.
Because the plans stand firm, we have hope and a future. Although we may be going through some hard times, although we may be going through some of God’s discipline, there is still hope and there is still a future. We should continue to press forward in the fulfillment of God’s plan for us. He does not give up on us and we should not give up on Him.
You may be in your own personal version of Babylon today. If so, don’t give up, for God hasn’t given up on you. He still has plans for you.
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