Good Plans

 Good Plans

“I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

JEREMIAH 29.11

The people of Israel were enduring captivity in Babylon when the Lord spoke these words to them through the prophet Jeremiah. After they had lived in harsh adversity, the promise was probably hard for some of them to believe. Bitter experiences have the potential to jade people’s perspective and cause them to become cynical about the future.

Whatever you may have experienced in your own life, don’t make the mistake of projecting negative faith into your future. The brightest and best days lie ahead for you. The first song I learned in life was called “Every Day with Jesus Is Sweeter Than the Day Before.” It’s true. While outward circumstances may vary, your walk with Christ will only become better and better, culminating at the time when you finally see Him face-to-face.

Don’t anticipate negative days in this temporal world either. Presume upon the goodness of God. He is honored when you have faith in His lovingkindness. He has plans for you, and they are good. Believe it and anticipate it.

A Motherly God

 A Motherly God

You will be nursed; you will be carried on the hip and fondled on the knees. As one whom his mother comforts, so I will comfort you; and you will be comforted in Jerusalem.

ISAIAH 66.12-13

Think about times you’ve been in public and seen a misbehaving young toddler. He may be running around a store reaching for everything he shouldn’t touch. It’s not uncommon to see his mother reach down and pick him up, perch him on her hip, and carry him.

Or think of times you’ve been at a solemn event such as a wedding or funeral. A young child begins to be restless and making noise. The mother will often take that child on her lap and gently stroke him until his restlessness gives way to the comfort that leads to sleep on her bosom.

Our God’s behaviour is the same way toward us. When you misbehave, the response isn’t one of divine impatience. Your God gently picks you up and carries you to keep you from getting into trouble or hurting yourself.

When you are restless, God holds you close and gently strokes your heart with love until you find peace and renewed rest. Don’t ever doubt His love. You’ll be carried, caressed, and loved for all eternity, no matter what you may be doing or not doing.

Abandonment Is Impossible

 Abandonment Is Impossible

Can a woman forget her nursing child

And have no compassion on the son of her womb?

Even these may forget, but I will not forget you.

ISAIAH 49.15

When a mother abandons her newborn baby, the the event usually makes the news. People shake their heads in disbelief because there is no bond quite like that between a new mother and her nursing child. It is a mother’s nature to love and nurture her child.

There is almost no limit to the sacrifices that a mother would make for her baby. She would do almost anything for the well-being of that child. Nothing is too much, it seems.

God wants you to know that the likelihood of a mother forsaking and forgetting her child may be small, but the chance of Him forgetting you is nonexistent. His love for you will cause Him to pour out compassion on you forever. No circumstance, no sin, no problem, nothing at all could ever affect His disposition and actions toward you.

You are His precious child. He gave His Son’s life for you so that He could give His life to you. His love for you never vacillates for any reason. You can take comfort in knowing that you are His and will forever be the focus of His love.

Wiped Out Sins

 Wiped Out Sins

I have wiped out your transgressions like a thick cloud,

And your sins like a heavy mist.

Return to Me, for I have redeemed you.

ISAIAH 44.22

Imagine for a moment that you had never done anything to feel guilty about. Wouldn’t that be fantastic? What if any and every wrong thing you’d ever done had never happened? Would that empower you to live more boldly, with more confidence that God’s plan is to bless you in all you do? Would it be a motivation to enjoy intimacy with your Father at every moment?

Grace brings news to you that seems almost too good to be true. It’s this, your sins have been wiped out as if they had never happened. They are gone and forgotten by God. When God looks at you, He sees you as if you have never sinned. Does that seem too good to be true? “How could that be?” you might ask.

The answer is that it is possible because of what Jesus did when He came the first time. He dealt a blow to sin that didn’t simply defeat it, the deathblow against sin through the cross annihilated it in your life. There is not even a trace of it left now. “Return to me,” God says, “because I have already wiped out your sins.”

Forgiving Others

 Forgiving Others

I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake,

And I will not remember your sins.

ISAIAH 43.25

This promise about the forgiveness of sins by our God reveals much about the importance of forgiving others. The verse clearly says that God has wiped out our sins for His own sake. He has shown His grace to us by forgiving us, but that forgiveness isn’t for our sake alone. It is also an expression of His nature.

God is love. For Him not to forgive our transgressions would be a contradiction within His own nature. The great love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13 reminds us that love “does not take into account a wrong suffered.” God has forgiven you for His own sake, because it would be incongruent to do otherwise.

Likewise, you are now able to forgive those who have sinned against you in the same way. The source of your life is in Divine Love, so to refuse to forgive would be a contradiction of who you are at the core. You forgive others, not only for their sake, but for your own sake as well.

To refuse to forgive is to act in contradiction to your authentic self. Who do you need to forgive? Do it now by faith and in the power of divine grace.

Wilderness Roadways

 Wilderness Roadways

Do not call to mind the former things, or ponder things of the past. Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth; will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, rivers in the desert.

ISAIAH 43.18-19

We tend to imagine the future based on our past experiences. Then our past becomes the mental framework within which we envision what lies ahead.

If unwise choices in your past seem to have affected your potential for the future, you are particularly vulnerable to the risk of this false perspective. This outlook displaces faith because it limits your expectations of what God can and will do in the coming days.

Don’t allow yourself to become bogged down in the past. Your best days are still ahead. Our God doesn’t live in the past. He is the great “I AM” who lives in you at this moment and leads you forward to new vistas of divine opportunities.

Perhaps you have made decisions that seem to limit future possibilities. It is important to recognise that God transcends natural circumstances and isn’t restricted by what you face. He has the power to “make a roadway in the wilderness” when it comes to obstacles in your situation. Your future is a new day in which your Loving Father already has planned your steps.

Divine Justice

 Divine Justice

The LORD longs to be gracious to you, and therefore

He waits on high to have compassion on you.

For the LORD is a God of justice;

How blessed are all those who long for Him.

ISAIAH 30.18

The justice of God is often misunderstood. Although it has often been associated with retribution, divine justice isn’t about payback. Rather it is about making things right for all concerned. This verse teaches that your Lord longs to be gracious to you. He waits for opportune moments in your life to show you His compassion. The reason for this divine attitude is because He is a God of justice.

If you’ve seen God’s justice as something to be feared, allow the Holy Spirit to renew your mind about the matter. He isn’t watching for misbehaviour so He can punish you. Your Father is watching for those perfect moments when He can pour out His grace and compassion on you to show you how much He loves you.

Don’t allow fear concerning God’s attitude toward you to ever find a place in your mind. He is indeed a God of justice and, because His very nature is one of love, you can long for Him at every minute of your lifetime, knowing that His only plan toward you is to express perfect love.