I was inspired to write this because of something in my woman’s bible study homework this past week.  We are doing Beth Moore’s Daniel, and so far it has been a very inspiring  journey.  I shared a small part of this with the women last night, and am now sharing it here.

I will start by quoting, in part, what Beth had to say in our books in one of our daily studies.  She wrote “God has a plan and purpose for His world. …. the creator who is actively involved in moving His creation to a goal.  History is not a cynical process of endless repetition; history is being moved toward the predetermined end.”  Just one paragraph later she goes on to say “God’s providence is intentional and purposeful. ….thankfully, He is pleased to involve us in His process.”

Intentional, purposeful, towards a specific end, and He is using us in it!  What an amazing thought!  He is using us in a plan that He has already laid out and determined, and even more then that we know what that glorious end is, the return of our Lord.  So here is a part of this that we often miss, the Lord knows every small detail that needs doing to get to that end, and He is able to do all of them on His own, yet He involves us in the process by His choice!  He doesn’t have to, He chooses to.

What is significant about that?  If He has asked us to do any task as history moves towards that end, then that task must be significant!  He has determined it is because He knows it needs doing.  All to often we become discouraged in our ministry, in our service, because we feel it is insignificant, or we let others make us feel it is insignificant.  Yet if the Lord has decided it is necessary to move history to the ultimate end of Christ returning for His church, it is as significant as any other part of the plan.  The very fact that He has asked you to be included in that plan by doing any part of it ought to be enough to spurn you on toward completing it.  Never allow anyone, including the enemy, to make you feel like you are insignificant in the Lord’s plan.

On the flip side, since each part of God’s plan is significant, and every detail must be complete, then no part is more significant then another.  The Lord has not appointed any more significance to one over another, only more responsibility which comes with more accountability.  The outcome of this means that you ought never allow yourself to make another feel insignificant in the Lord’s plan, because you make yourself out to be more important.  For if they do not complete what the Lord has asked of them, then the Lord must find another to do that.  If you have been given more responsibility then you must be careful not to place yourself as more important then another, because you might find that the accountability that comes with your position finds your responsibility removed from you.

We must all be thankful to the Lord for even being willing to include us in His plan!  Whatever He asks us to do we ought to do it with a thankful and diligent heart, knowing that the Lord did not have to ask it of us.  Remembering that He did so because He desires for us to be a part of what He is doing not because He needs us.  We must remember that our part in God’s plan is moving history towards the most amazing and glorious moment in history, and also encourage others as they do their part, so that God will be glorified in the doing of all of it.  For there is nothing insignificant that the Lord can ask us to do, and there is nothing more significant we can do then what the Lord asks of us.

My parents are coming for Christmas!  I am so excited because this is my first Christmas in my new house, and the first Christmas since I have been married, we years, that I have been able to have family come to my home for Christmas.  So it is very exciting for me to have them come this year.  The past couple of days we have been getting ready for their arrival, and since we just moved in 2 months ago, there were a few extra things that were still left undone from the move.

We still had a few boxes left in the room they are staying in-done.  We needed to get the bed set up for them-done.  My husband wanted to get a few of the things that were still in the garage taken care of-he is working on that now.  Plus all of the normal things you do when company comes.  Plus shopping for Christmas dinner.  So it has been a bit frenzied the last couple of days because I added on top of that singing in the cantata yesterday.  Then of course while I would be working on doing something I would get distracted, forget what I was doing, then have to go back to it again.  Well they will arrive tomorrow, whether I am ready or not.

In all of this I started thinking, we all tend to get a little frenzied when company is coming to our house.  However, how frenzied are we over the fact that Christ is returning for His church?  He is coming whether we are ready or not.  I for one would very much like to be prepared if He arrives while I am still here.  I want Him to find me doing what He has asked me to be doing, rather then distracted.  He is going to arrive either way, and I pray we are all diligently working on being prepared.