Gods "Plan" for your life

[Floatingaxe]

If you're intellectually honest, you will see that this promise is not to the audience to whom you purport nor does it speak of what you purport. It has nothing to do with whether or not you know Jesus Christ (as I do), it has to do with whether or not you believe Scripture can tell one person something that it doesn't say. In the theological community, we call that "eisegesis". In regular life, we call it intellectual dishonesty.

I am intellectually honest. But spiritually, I am attuned more to God's voice through His Word. He is speaking to all of us--even when speaking to Israel 5000 years ago. Such is the miracle of the Word of God.

Scripture can certainly bring a Rhema Word to one person that it doesn't to another. Jeremiah 29:11 is a Rhema Word to me and many I know and love.

Be careful who and how you judge, for you are being hypercritical of a spiritual sister in this instance.

[secondeve]

I was watching a televangelist last night who was talking about Gods plan for everyones life. He said that even before we were born, God had a wonderful plan for our lives laid out.

That got me to thinking...

Why kind of "wonderful plan" is it for those children in Africa and other places who are starving to death? Is that the "plan" God had for their lives from before they were born?

It just strikes me as odd that God would have a great plan for some lives, and a horrid one for others.

What is the deal?

From a narrative perspective, it makes perfect sense. If I'm writing a story, there are some characters I only include to give depth to my protagonists, and some evils I only include so my heroes have something to strive against or learn from. As a writer, my freedom to do this comes from the fact that nobody I create exists as flesh and blood - they are only ever words on a page, no matter how vividly I craft them. Which means that I can describe (to take an example from one of my stories) an abusive relationship in which the wife decides to help my hero only because it means getting back at her husband. In narrative terms, that is the sole purpose for their existence, and for their tragedy: one single day in which the wife helps a stranger without realizing the significance of her actions. In narrative terms, they subsequently fade away. But if the world I created were real, and I the deity responsible, these people would continue to exist without ever knowing that they'd already done what I made them to do. I might decide to use them again in a later story, and this re-use gives them new purpose. But no matter how many hundreds or thousands of intersecting tales I write, I am always generating new characters, new people, new lives to balance against old. Inevitably, some people will only ever exist to die as a counterpoint in someone else's story, and some people - no matter what future use I might make of them - will originally be created, not for themselves, but for others. Because the sharp truth of stories is that narrative cannot exist without conflict, or change, or obstacle - without them, there is only a static nothing. I include chaos in my stories because, without it, they would not be stories, and I couldn't write them. At absolute best, they would be short, and poor, and pointless; there would be no lessons, no love, no living. But even though I am the creator of multiple worlds - of universes, even - I can never quite keep abreast of every story they spawn, and some characters, for this reason, have no plan, even though they are no less loved for the minor part they play. But were my characters real, and if I told them why I'd written as I did, I'm sure that, love and preference of life aside, they would be well within their rights to have wanted more.

If God is omnipotent and able to solve the narrative difficulties I've just described - let's call them the Writer's Limits - then he should be able to create worlds without chaos, endings without pain, and lives without sin. It is very rare for a character to take their story in a direction that the writer neither intends nor wants, and even so, this can only happen at all because the writer erred initially, perhaps by trying to make the character into something that didn't fit, or by putting them in circumstances where the intended plot could no longer work. But God, if he exists, would not suffer these problems. If mankind has the power to take stories away from God - to bring sin down upon ourselves when he had not wished it, slay our brothers when he did not scribe it, hide in darkness when he did not wish it - then God is no writer at all, and certainly not omnipotent. The only alternative is to believe that God has mastered the Writer's Limits, but continues to include sin and evil for reasons of his own - in which case, he is not exactly benevolent, but a storyteller of the truest sort, improving his stories with pain.

[eric]

Well I'll be brief.....God's purpose in my life is the same for everyone........that everybody to repent and become reconciled back to Him by receing His saving grace. that was offered at the cross. That is His purpose even to the atheist and the sceptics,

[RedNick261]

I am attuned more to God's voice through His Word. He is speaking to all of us--even when speaking to Israel 5000 years ago. Such is the miracle of the Word of God.

So you're saying that Scripture can say to one person what it doesn't, in fact, say?

I don't intend to be hypercritical, as you say. I intend to correct error. Given your interpretation (which, unfortunately, is a widespread interpretation of this verse) of Jeremiah 29:11, I feel the need (led, if you will) to correct this flawed interpretation. What is God actually saying in Jeremiah 29:11? Let's look at the 5 w's and the h:

Who: From God, through Jeremiah, to Israel

What: A communication of God's desire for the nation of Israel through their time of turmoil in captivity

When: In the midst of the Babylonian exile and occupation of Israel and Judah

Where: From Jerusalem, to the exiled in Babylon

Why: As a prophecy, communication of a conditional promise and the consequences of disobedience; the communication is that God's desire for Israel is for them to be well (the Aramaic word translates more closely to welfare than prosperity) not be harmed or damaged

How: Through special revelation to Jeremiah, a prophet, by letter

So, what is actually being said here? Is God saying, "hey, [insert name here], I have specific plans for you individually and they are specific and all-encompassing?" Not at all! In fact, what God is saying is that His desire is that Israel not suffer the exact fate in which they were living at the time of the communication! To take it another way is dishonest to what God is saying and dishonest to the interpretation of Scripture.

Scripture can certainly bring a Rhenma Word to one person that it doesn't to another. Jeremiah 29:11 is a Rhema Word to me and many I know and love.

Rhenma is an extrabiblical concept. Further, we call it "eisegesis", defined as:

an interpretation, esp. of Scripture, that expresses the interpreter's own ideas, bias, or the like, rather than the meaning of the text.

(quoted from the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, courtesy of dictionary.com)

[7thseal]

You've confessed Christ as your Saviour a few post back justaguy as an example, then say that you're still waiting on God's plan. Hope this verse helps with understanding God's plan for you.

Romans 10:10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Gota believe with your heart......then confess.

[7thseal]

Nope. It meant I discovered that simply going to Christ without believing means I am not ready for Christ. Therefore, I must be living in His plan. To whole heartedly accept jesus as my personal Saviour hasn't come to past and is why I know it is god plan. Otherwise, if I knew that jesus was god, I'd be readying myself for Hell.

I got you, thanks for correcting me about your statement.

Trust

Its hard for us isn't it? Specially in this cruel world.

[MorningGlory]

Sounds like a recipe for damnation to me. Justaguy, please rethink that one. God will know if you try to repent just to avoid hell.

Isn't that the whole idea? Repenting to avoid Gods wrath?

Doesn't the thought of punishment cause one to flee to Gods mercy?

Actually, the main reason most seek God is to have eternal life through a personal relationship with Him. Avoiding hell is part of it, of course, but if that is one's only reason to repent and seek Him, it's a self serving reason and....He will send them away. Where is Fresno Joe when I need him? I can't remember the Scripture that tells us this!

[Floatingaxe]

Rhema is not an extrabiblical concept!

Take a gander: http://ati.iblp.org/ati/family/articles/concepts/rhema/

[Floatingaxe]

I am attuned more to God's voice through His Word. He is speaking to all of us--even when speaking to Israel 5000 years ago. Such is the miracle of the Word of God.

So you're saying that Scripture can say to one person what it doesn't, in fact, say?

I don't intend to be hypercritical, as you say. I intend to correct error. Given your interpretation (which, unfortunately, is a widespread interpretation of this verse) of Jeremiah 29:11, I feel the need (led, if you will) to correct this flawed interpretation. What is God actually saying in Jeremiah 29:11? Let's look at the 5 w's and the h:

Who: From God, through Jeremiah, to Israel

What: A communication of God's desire for the nation of Israel through their time of turmoil in captivity

When: In the midst of the Babylonian exile and occupation of Israel and Judah

Where: From Jerusalem, to the exiled in Babylon

Why: As a prophecy, communication of a conditional promise and the consequences of disobedience; the communication is that God's desire for Israel is for them to be well (the Aramaic word translates more closely to welfare than prosperity) not be harmed or damaged

How: Through special revelation to Jeremiah, a prophet, by letter

So, what is actually being said here? Is God saying, "hey, [insert name here], I have specific plans for you individually and they are specific and all-encompassing?" Not at all! In fact, what God is saying is that His desire is that Israel not suffer the exact fate in which they were living at the time of the communication! To take it another way is dishonest to what God is saying and dishonest to the interpretation of Scripture.

Scripture can certainly bring a Rhenma Word to one person that it doesn't to another. Jeremiah 29:11 is a Rhema Word to me and many I know and love.

Rhenma is an extrabiblical concept. Further, we call it "eisegesis", defined as:

an interpretation, esp. of Scripture, that expresses the interpreter's own ideas, bias, or the like, rather than the meaning of the text.

(quoted from the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, courtesy of dictionary.com)

God's written Word is totally relevant to every age and every person. Yes Jeremiah was prophesying to Israel. Yes, God is speaking to us. Yes, God is specifically speaking to me--that is Rhema.

That is how God's Word meets us where we are at! That is how God speaks to each one of us! That is why God calls it "living and active". It's the Holy Spirit working through the written Word to make it come alive to my heart and provoke change in me...and you.

[patricia1]

Sounds like a recipe for damnation to me. Justaguy, please rethink that one. God will know if you try to repent just to avoid hell.

Isn't that the whole idea? Repenting to avoid Gods wrath?

Doesn't the thought of punishment cause one to flee to Gods mercy?

Actually, the main reason most seek God is to have eternal life through a personal relationship with Him. Avoiding hell is part of it, of course, but if that is one's only reason to repent and seek Him, it's a self serving reason and....He will send them away. Where is Fresno Joe when I need him? I can't remember the Scripture that tells us this!

No ...I repent because I hurt God. Your mind will always be is at enmity with God until regenerated. People miss heaven by 12 inches depending on your height. That is how( approx. ) many inches it is form your mind to your heart.

My aim is to please God My Father in Heaven, so setting my mind of the things of the flesh is death...so if you are not saved you are dead. Although God knows you are there you have no advocate. Jesus being my Advocate because of belief/faith in that I have,God washes the sin away when I repent. My mind set on the Spirit , is life and peace. Your faith that Jesus gave you is in the heart.

I will give a analogy here and I pray it is understood---- medically speaking there is a invisible barrier between the body and the brain that prevents certain things from crossing over that can harm that brain. Yet we have a whole body and that barrier is not seen. Both need different types of nourishment.

The Holy Spirit is not seen, is the indwelling barrier once you come to know Him,( Jesus,) then Jesus through his word waters your mind and starts renewing it from the heart. The Faith, as he says, has been given to all men.

Now when certain chemicals go into the brain you get disease...because the barrier broke down somwhere thus the protection is gone.

I suspect that being here although you know the word well, something is blocking your mind from the regeneration.

Yes I understand that there is lip service. I have seen false conversions for many reasons that occur. But you my Dear are sincere in your searching and want to make sure you salvation is pure. That you ask God to forgive you because you truly mean it. Well There have been times that I had to ask Jesus to give be conviction because a sin has desensitised me and I thought I hated That sin and come to find out The hate was not deep enough.

I hope you understand what I say and maybe you want a Paulian experience, but remember His eyesight was never the same.

I wouldn't be suprise to find out that you are in the flock unawares to you because your mind cannot handle it. I have prayed for you and will continue to do so. Those rocks are going away.... love you patricia