“God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan.” (Ephesians 1:9 NLT)

 

No Christian should ever say, “I was really lucky today” or “Whatever will be will be.” Forget that. If you are a Christian, then you are a child of God. There’s no such thing as dumb luck. God has a plan and a purpose. He has a strategy for your life. You may not see it now, but He sees it and always has seen it. God is paying attention to what you are facing right now. He is paying attention to what you really need—not necessarily to what you want. So the great thing to know is that God is thinking about you and that He cares about you.

The more mature you become in your faith, through prayer and studying God’s Word, the better able you are to see and trust God’s plan. Proverbs 19:21 says, “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.” So the first thing to do is line up your self-made plans behind God’s plan. You make His plan your priority.

That’s the wise course of action. Isaiah 55:8–9 says, “‘My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,’ says the Lord. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts’” (NLT).

You can find God’s thoughts and ways in His Word. If you study and pray about them enough, you start to align your decision-making with them. You make choices that honor the Lord and pave the way for His plans to be accomplished in and through you.

God doesn’t reveal His entire plan for your life at once. Instead, He reveals only what you need to know at a given moment—just enough for you to stay dependent on Him.

You can know how things will end, of course. God reveals the culmination of His plan in Ephesians 1:10: “And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth” (NLT). For those who receive Christ as Savior, this “bringing together” will be eternal life in Heaven under His authority.

For those who reject Christ as Savior, this “bringing together” will be facing His authority as Judge. The first time Jesus came, it was as a baby. When He returns, it will be as the all-powerful divine Judge.

God’s Word doesn’t give us a calendar for Christ’s return. All we know is that it will happen “at the right time”—that is, when God, in His perfect wisdom, patience, and justice, decides that it’s time.

Until then, your job is to discover and embrace God’s plan for your life—and to align your will and your priorities with His.

 

Reflection Question: Where do you see evidence of God’s plan in your life?

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&ldquo;God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ&mdash;which is to fulfill his own good plan.&rdquo; (Ephesians 1:9 NLT)
&nbsp;
No Christian should ever say, &ldquo;I was really lucky today&rdquo; or &ldquo;Whatever will be will be.&rdquo; Forget that. If you are a Christian, then you are a child of God. There&rsquo;s no such thing as dumb luck. God has a plan and a purpose. He has a strategy for your life. You may not see it now, but He sees it and always has seen it. God is paying attention to what you are facing right now. He is paying attention to what you really need&mdash;not necessarily to what you want. So the great thing to know is that God is thinking about you and that He cares about you.
The more mature you become in your faith, through prayer and studying God&rsquo;s Word, the better able you are to see and trust God&rsquo;s plan. Proverbs 19:21 says, &ldquo;You can make many plans, but the&nbsp;Lord&rsquo;s purpose will prevail.&rdquo; So the first thing to do is line up your self-made plans behind God&rsquo;s plan. You make His plan your priority.
That&rsquo;s the wise course of action. Isaiah 55:8&ndash;9 says, &ldquo;&lsquo;My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,&rsquo; says the Lord. &lsquo;And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts&rsquo;&rdquo; (NLT).
You can find God&rsquo;s thoughts and ways in His Word. If you study and pray about them enough, you start to align your decision-making with them. You make choices that honor the Lord and pave the way for His plans to be accomplished in and through you.
God doesn&rsquo;t reveal His entire plan for your life at once. Instead, He reveals only what you need to know at a given moment&mdash;just enough for you to stay dependent on Him.
You can know how things will end, of course. God reveals the culmination of His plan in Ephesians 1:10: &ldquo;And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ&mdash;everything in heaven and on earth&rdquo; (NLT). For those who receive Christ as Savior, this &ldquo;bringing together&rdquo; will be eternal life in Heaven under His authority.
For those who reject Christ as Savior, this &ldquo;bringing together&rdquo; will be facing His authority as Judge. The first time Jesus came, it was as a baby. When He returns, it will be as the all-powerful divine Judge.
God&rsquo;s Word doesn&rsquo;t give us a calendar for Christ&rsquo;s return. All we know is that it will happen &ldquo;at the right time&rdquo;&mdash;that is, when God, in His perfect wisdom, patience, and justice, decides that it&rsquo;s time.
Until then, your job is to discover and embrace God&rsquo;s plan for your life&mdash;and to align your will and your priorities with His.
&nbsp;
Reflection Question: Where do you see evidence of God&rsquo;s plan in your life?
<a href="https://disciple.harvest.org/spaces/17592429/feed?utm_source=DD&amp;utm_medium=podcast&amp;utm_campaign=HarvestDiscipleship">Discuss Today's Devo in Harvest Discipleship!</a>
&mdash;
<a href="https://link.chtbl.com/A1PWfZ8W">Listen to the Greg Laurie Podcast</a>
<a href="https://harvest.org/harvest-partner/">Become a Harvest Partner</a>

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God’s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from Pastor Greg Laurie, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you. 

*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology. This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known."

All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

If you want to be successful in the Christian life, you must have a mind full of God&rsquo;s Word. Refresh your mind with it daily, right here. Each day, you'll receive a verse and commentary from&nbsp;<a href="https://harvest.org/about-greg-laurie/">Pastor Greg Laurie</a>, who offers biblical insight through humor, personal stories, and cultural commentary. Start listening and hear what God has to say to you.&nbsp;
*The audio production of this podcast utilizes Generative AI technology.&nbsp;This allows us to deliver consistent, high-quality content while preserving Harvest's mission to "know God and make Him known." All devotional content is written and owned by Pastor Greg Laurie.

Greg Laurie provides commentary on the day's Bible verse.

Greg Laurie: Daily Devotions

God has a plan and purpose for your life.

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