“For I know the plans I have for you’ says the Lord, ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future” ‘(Jeremiah 29:11 NIV).
No matter who you are, what you are, where you are, what you are doing, or what you have done, God has a plan and purpose for you. Pastor Rick Warren, in his book “Purpose Driven Life”, says “The ultimate goal of the universe is to show the glory of God. It is the reason for everything that exists, including you. God created all of it for His glory. Without God’s glory, there would be nothing.” (Pg. 53). God has a plan and a purpose for each of us. Each of us is a part of His plan and purpose. “The Lord has made everything for His own purposes” (Proverbs 16:4 NLT).
While looking at our lives as part of the “big picture” of the universe, we think. “How could I be important to God?” You can be a successful business person or homeless and helpless, no matter, God has a plan for you. He has a plan and a purpose that will give you “hope and a future.”
God wants nothing but the best for each of us, he wants each of us to be successful. What is success in God’s eyes? To God, it means to be obedient to His word, to praise and worship Him, and to realize that everything you have, the world around you, comes from Him. In simple terms, it means we need to understand and acknowledge the sovereignty of God.
God created the universe, the world, and everything around you. He loves you. You are His most glorious creation. No matter where you stand in life, God wants you to do better, he has “plans to prosper you… plans to give you hope and a future.” God will do incredible things to help you prosper in life, but you must do your part. You must give all the glory to God.
All too often, we try to “prosper” ourselves. We get a better job, we get a better place to live or a better car, and then we pat ourselves on our back and say, “Look at what I have accomplished!” So often we don’t stop to realize that all we have, yes everything, comes from God. When we have an opportunity to do better, “to prosper”, to have “hope and a future”, we should never forget that what we get, what we have, comes from God. We are simply the stewards of things that belong to him.
We came into the world with nothing and we will leave with nothing. Nothing we have in this world can go with us as we pass from life to death to eternal life. Whatever God has blessed each of us with during this life belongs to him, not us.
So, when God blesses you and gives you more, how do you respond? Do you fall to your knees and thank the One that everything comes from for what He has blessed you with? The apostle Paul understood two important things about blessings: 1) everything belongs to God, and 2) God gave you the “tools” to do better, “to prosper you.” When you are motivated in all you do to first work for the Lord, you will find that, as you follow the path, He has chosen for you, He will more than take care of you. Your future is full of prosperity and hope. There will be times when you will have setbacks and/or disappointments, but He is always there to pick you up, dust you off, and put you back on the path He has chosen for you. Only you can determine what path you will follow, the one you have chosen, or the one God has chosen for you.