This was a specific promise given by God to a specific people at a particular time in history under very distinct circumstances which are not relevant to us today. The people of God were under the judgment of God for a period of 70 years. So, the Lord was giving them specific instructions for them only. For they had false prophets lying to them about the 70 years, and so the Lord was correcting those errors. And then the Lord told them that when the 70 years were completed that he would visit them, and that he would fulfill his promise to them to bring them back to their homeland. Then he said:
Jeremiah 29:11-13 ESV
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
God’s Plans for Us Now
Our God does have very specific plans for us, his people,
and he does have very specific instructions he has given to us, too, which need
to be adhered to in order for those plans to be fulfilled in us. And the plans
he has for us are for our welfare (for our spiritual and eternal benefit), and
not for evil (not for us to be engaged in evil, in sin). And he has a plan for
us to be delivered from slavery to sin and to walk in obedience to his
commands.
We who are in Christ by genuine faith in Christ have been
predestined according to the purpose of God who works all things according to
the counsel of his will (Eph 1:11). So, what is his will for us? It is his will
that we walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called,
that we might no longer be immature, tossed to and fro by various winds of doctrine,
by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes, but rather that we grow
up in Christ in love (Eph 4:1-16).
When we come to faith in Jesus Christ, a faith which is
gifted to us by God, according to his plans and purposes, and which is not of
ourselves, we become God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. So, this is his
plan for us that we should walk in the works that he prepared in advance that
we should walk (in conduct, in practice) in them (Eph 2:8-10).
And it is his will for us that we should no longer walk (in
conduct, in practice) in sin, giving ourselves up to sensuality, greedy to
practice every kind of impurity, but that we put off our old self, which
belongs to our former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires,
that we be renewed in the spirit of our minds, and that we put on the new self,
created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness (Eph
4:17-24).
For those whom God foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the image (likeness) of his Son Jesus Christ. And he chose us in
him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless
before him, and in love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons
through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, so that we might be
for the praise of his glory (Rom 8:29; Eph 1:4-5,11-12).
“For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that
you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control
his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the
Gentiles who do not know God; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in
this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you
beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but
in holiness” (1 Thes 4:3-7 ESV).
If we want to come after Jesus, to be one of his followers,
then we must deny self, take up our cross daily (daily die to sin) and follow
(obey) him (Lu 9:23-26). We are not to be foolish, but we are to understand
what the Lord’s will is. So, we are not to get drunk on wine (nor be
intoxicated by sin), but we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and we are
to speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (of the Spirit)
(Eph 5:15-20).
All throughout the New Testament we read about God’s plans,
his purposes, and his will for our lives, so we need to read Matthew-Revelation
one word at a time, prayerfully, listening to the Spirit speak to our hearts,
and then we should learn what God’s plans are for us today. But then we must
obey our Lord in doing what he says to do, for if we don’t obey him, we don’t
know him, and we don’t have salvation from sin and eternal life with him.
And these plans of God’s for our lives are for our welfare (for
our spiritual benefit, for our wholeness) and not for evil (not for us to keep
on living in sin), and to give us a future and a hope, which is for us to die
with him to sin and to live to him and to his righteousness. And then we have
the hope of eternal life with God, provided that we continue in such faith
until the very end. And then when Jesus returns, our salvation will be
complete.
[Lu
9:23-26;
Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-17; Eph 4:17-24; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10, 15; Tit 2:11-14; Jas
1:22-25; Rom 12:1-2; Eph 2:8-10; Php 2:12-13; Col
1:21-23; Gal 5:16-21; Eph 5:3-6; Gal 6:7-8; Rom 2:6-8; Heb 10:26-27; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn
2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Matt 7:21-23; Rev. 2-3; Rev 18:1-6; Rev 21:8, 27; Rev
22:14-15]
Courageous!
An
Original Work / December 24, 2013
Based
off Various Scriptures
The Word of God throughout taught.
Some people heard, but did doubt.
Still others had faith in Christ.
By grace He purified them.
They turned from sin
And they obeyed Christ.
He opened up their blinded eyesight;
Turned them from darkness
To the true Light;
Forgave their sin by His might.
He strengthened them in their faith.
He said, “Remain my faithful.”
He called them to obedience.
By faith, they were so grateful.
By faith, they were to follow Jesus;
To daily sit and listen to Him;
To have such faith
That mountains could move;
To love those whom He gave them.
Be on your guard; courageous.
Stand firm in faith. Be thankful.
Take up the shield of your faith;
Protect against all evil.
Do not move from
The hope that you have.
Your faith in Jesus let it endure.
Hold to the truth;
Your conscience be clear.
Endure with perseverance.
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