Destiny's Calling
God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. As a matter of fact, in the Old Testament, Jeremiah 29:11-12 says "I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out - plans to take care of you, not to abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen". This excerpt was taken from the Message Bible.
Many years ago I found this verse in the Bible. When I did, I was really very surprised because my understanding of God was so contrary to what this verse says. I always thought God was mad at me, or at least looking for reasons to be mad at me. I've come to realize that this way of thinking was the result of being more conscience of the wrong things that I was doing than understanding how much God loved me.
The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:19 "For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message He has given us to tell others."(New Living Translation)
The Bible also tells us that God is good and His mercy endures forever! It's His mercy which says, "I'm not mad at you. Please come home. I've missed you."
In the book of Luke there is a story about a son who leaves home, taking with him his part of the family’s fortune, which was given to him by his father. As soon as he received his inheritance, he took off for a country far far away from home and family.
The Bible tells us he wasted his inheritance on riotous living. He got as far away from his family and their influence as possible and started living his life on his own terms. As long as he had “the goods” he had friends, but once he had blown through his inheritance, his friends were gone. Things got so bad that he even hired himself out to a pig farmer. Now remember, this young man had been raised to believe that pigs were the dirtiest creatures on earth. He wasn't even allowed to touch one and now he was responsible for caring for them. Yikes!
When I was younger I lived in a rural part of Tidewater, Virginia and in order to get to work I had to drive by a farm. Twice a year they would fertilize their pastures with manure. It was not hard to tell when they had laid down the fertilizer. We’d have to hold our breath and step on the gas so we could quickly drive past their property. I don’t know exactly what they were using, but it sure did stink! With this in mind, I can just image the living conditions in which this rich man’s son was now living.
Let’s pick up the story in Luke 15:15: “Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.(HBM Note: The pig farmer didn't even give him anything to eat, even though this young man was clearly destitute and hungry!) 17 But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” Hunger has a way of causing us to reprioritize our lives. Spiritual hunger is no different.
Notice a couple of things. This young man had made one bad decision after another. He was far from home and had hit rock bottom. The glorious life he thought he was going to live was nothing but a bad memory. Nothing was going right and he was out of resources. It was at the worst possible time in his life that he came to his senses and realized he wanted to go home and that he could go home. Even if he had to live as a hired servant the rest of his days, it would be better than how he was now living.
I can just imagine his long trek home. In those days they didn’t have planes, trains or automobiles and remember, he was a very long way from home with no money. I’m sure it took weeks, if not months for him to get home from the “far country” that he had settled into. And if he didn’t have any money for food, I’m sure he didn’t have any money for soap or laundry detergent. You could probably smell him coming!
As he’s heading home, I can just hear him going over and over everything that he’s going to say to his father. “Father forgive me”, no, no, no that’s not quite enough. “Father, I’m so sorry – I wasted all the money you gave me”, no, no, no, that not quite it either. Okay, this is what I’ll say, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”
Luke 15 tells us that he arose to go to his father (he took action)and while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. One translation of the Bible says that his father kissed him much.
This is such a great picture of what happens when we finally come to our senses and realize that we need and want a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Just like the father in Luke 15, while we are still a long way off from God, He is watching and waiting expectantly for us to come home.
The book of Luke goes on to tell us that all the son got to say to his father was "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son." At the son's admission of wrong doing, the father forgave him.
The same thing happens when we come to God, with a broken and contrite heart, asking for forgiveness. Ephesians 2:13 tells us “But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. And 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Jesus’ blood made the way for us to come to a holy God and made forgiveness possible.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful to not only forgive us but also to cleanse us of all the unrighteous stuff we’ve been involved in. He creates a new heart in us and our old sin nature passes away.
When the father saw the son, he ran to him, embraced him, pig-stench and all. He was so glad his son had come home! So much so that after the son made things right, his father threw a party to celebrate his son’s return.
Much the same thing goes on in heaven when one sinner repents. They throw a big party and celebrate! You’ve been invited to the party. Want to come?
Some people try to tell God exactly what the son wanted to tell his father - "just make me like one of your servants." We get born again and God takes up residence in us and then we try to tell God - "I'm not worthy." First of all, you weren't worthy. God didn't forgive because you were worthy. He forgave you because Jesus paid the price for your sin and disobedience with His own blood. Remember the verse from Ephesians 2:13 we just read, "...you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Read that again very slowly.
It was Jesus' sacrifice which made the way for you to come unhindered, unashamed and forgiven to God. That's why He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the ONLY way to God because it was His blood that made the way. What He offers is the gift of righteousness, or another way of saying it is, He gives us the gift of being right with God. Amazing!
More than anything, God wants to have a personal, dynamic, intimate relationship with you so that you can get to know Him as "Father" and so that He can reveal not only His limitless love for you but also His wonderful plans for your life.
Jesus said these words, "I have come so that they (you and me, and everyone else down through the ages) might have life and life more abundant." I like the sound of life and life more abundant!
Destiny's calling, and it is calling your name. If you haven’t done so already, I hope you'll answer the call.
On the next page you'll learn how you can know for sure that you're going to spend eternity with God in heaven.
Helen B. Marshall
Many years ago I found this verse in the Bible. When I did, I was really very surprised because my understanding of God was so contrary to what this verse says. I always thought God was mad at me, or at least looking for reasons to be mad at me. I've come to realize that this way of thinking was the result of being more conscience of the wrong things that I was doing than understanding how much God loved me.
The Bible tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:19 "For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. This is the wonderful message He has given us to tell others."(New Living Translation)
The Bible also tells us that God is good and His mercy endures forever! It's His mercy which says, "I'm not mad at you. Please come home. I've missed you."
In the book of Luke there is a story about a son who leaves home, taking with him his part of the family’s fortune, which was given to him by his father. As soon as he received his inheritance, he took off for a country far far away from home and family.
The Bible tells us he wasted his inheritance on riotous living. He got as far away from his family and their influence as possible and started living his life on his own terms. As long as he had “the goods” he had friends, but once he had blown through his inheritance, his friends were gone. Things got so bad that he even hired himself out to a pig farmer. Now remember, this young man had been raised to believe that pigs were the dirtiest creatures on earth. He wasn't even allowed to touch one and now he was responsible for caring for them. Yikes!
When I was younger I lived in a rural part of Tidewater, Virginia and in order to get to work I had to drive by a farm. Twice a year they would fertilize their pastures with manure. It was not hard to tell when they had laid down the fertilizer. We’d have to hold our breath and step on the gas so we could quickly drive past their property. I don’t know exactly what they were using, but it sure did stink! With this in mind, I can just image the living conditions in which this rich man’s son was now living.
Let’s pick up the story in Luke 15:15: “Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. 16 And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything.(HBM Note: The pig farmer didn't even give him anything to eat, even though this young man was clearly destitute and hungry!) 17 But when he came to himself, he said, “How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! 18 I will arise and go to my father and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, 19 and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” Hunger has a way of causing us to reprioritize our lives. Spiritual hunger is no different.
Notice a couple of things. This young man had made one bad decision after another. He was far from home and had hit rock bottom. The glorious life he thought he was going to live was nothing but a bad memory. Nothing was going right and he was out of resources. It was at the worst possible time in his life that he came to his senses and realized he wanted to go home and that he could go home. Even if he had to live as a hired servant the rest of his days, it would be better than how he was now living.
I can just imagine his long trek home. In those days they didn’t have planes, trains or automobiles and remember, he was a very long way from home with no money. I’m sure it took weeks, if not months for him to get home from the “far country” that he had settled into. And if he didn’t have any money for food, I’m sure he didn’t have any money for soap or laundry detergent. You could probably smell him coming!
As he’s heading home, I can just hear him going over and over everything that he’s going to say to his father. “Father forgive me”, no, no, no that’s not quite enough. “Father, I’m so sorry – I wasted all the money you gave me”, no, no, no, that not quite it either. Okay, this is what I’ll say, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.”
Luke 15 tells us that he arose to go to his father (he took action)and while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. One translation of the Bible says that his father kissed him much.
This is such a great picture of what happens when we finally come to our senses and realize that we need and want a relationship with our Heavenly Father. Just like the father in Luke 15, while we are still a long way off from God, He is watching and waiting expectantly for us to come home.
The book of Luke goes on to tell us that all the son got to say to his father was "Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son." At the son's admission of wrong doing, the father forgave him.
The same thing happens when we come to God, with a broken and contrite heart, asking for forgiveness. Ephesians 2:13 tells us “But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. And 1 John 1:9 says “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Jesus’ blood made the way for us to come to a holy God and made forgiveness possible.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful to not only forgive us but also to cleanse us of all the unrighteous stuff we’ve been involved in. He creates a new heart in us and our old sin nature passes away.
When the father saw the son, he ran to him, embraced him, pig-stench and all. He was so glad his son had come home! So much so that after the son made things right, his father threw a party to celebrate his son’s return.
Much the same thing goes on in heaven when one sinner repents. They throw a big party and celebrate! You’ve been invited to the party. Want to come?
Some people try to tell God exactly what the son wanted to tell his father - "just make me like one of your servants." We get born again and God takes up residence in us and then we try to tell God - "I'm not worthy." First of all, you weren't worthy. God didn't forgive because you were worthy. He forgave you because Jesus paid the price for your sin and disobedience with His own blood. Remember the verse from Ephesians 2:13 we just read, "...you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ." Read that again very slowly.
It was Jesus' sacrifice which made the way for you to come unhindered, unashamed and forgiven to God. That's why He is the way, the truth and the life. He is the ONLY way to God because it was His blood that made the way. What He offers is the gift of righteousness, or another way of saying it is, He gives us the gift of being right with God. Amazing!
More than anything, God wants to have a personal, dynamic, intimate relationship with you so that you can get to know Him as "Father" and so that He can reveal not only His limitless love for you but also His wonderful plans for your life.
Jesus said these words, "I have come so that they (you and me, and everyone else down through the ages) might have life and life more abundant." I like the sound of life and life more abundant!
Destiny's calling, and it is calling your name. If you haven’t done so already, I hope you'll answer the call.
On the next page you'll learn how you can know for sure that you're going to spend eternity with God in heaven.
Helen B. Marshall