God’s Wonderful Plan for Your Life
By Berry

Many people like to talk about “God’s Wonderful Plan for Your Life.” I think that’s a great thing! Yes! God has a Wonderful Plan for your life! I was recently granted an interview with the Apostle Paul and asked him about just that very thing.

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ME: Paul, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to do this blog interview. I know you have a lot going on so I’ll cut to the chase: Can you tell us about God’s Wonderful Plan for your life so far?

PAUL: Imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. (2 Corinthians 11: 23-28).

ME: But… that doesn’t sound like God’s Wonderful Plan.

PAUL: I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:18)

ME: But… I still don’t get it. Surely if you go through those kinds of things God can’t love you!

PAUL: Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:35-39)

ME: I still don’t get it. Explain to us how your persecution is part of God’s Wonderful Plan!

PAUL: I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. (Philippians 1:12-14)

ME: I think I’m getting it now. You are saying that God’s Wonderful Plan isn’t about us living our best lives now. It is about living for God and His glory. Can you give us another example?

PAUL: So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (2 Corinthians 12:7-9)

ME: Really, its very clear now. It isn’t all about externals is it? God’s Wonderful Plan must not have anything to do with the flesh then.

PAUL: If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. (Philippians 3:4-12)

ME: Wow! You are a smart guy Paul. You must know as close to everything as one can.

PAUL: I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:2-5)

ME: Smart AND humble! But we get it now Paul. God’s Wonderful Plan for Your Life isn’t about how well off we are or how pain-free we are or how well liked we are. The Plan is about God’s Glory and our humble service of Him. In fact, just being able to serve Him is wonderful in and of itself. Thank you again Paul. Do you have any final words for the twos of people who actually read this blog?

PAUL: I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. (Romans 16:17-20)