Day 25 Purpose Driven Life.

DAY 25 Thinking about My Purpose

 POINT TO PONDER: There is a purpose behind every problem. 

VERSE TO REMEMBER: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” ROMANS 8:28 (NIV)

 QUESTION TO CONSIDER: What problem in my life has caused the greatest growth in me?

HIGHLIGHTS FROM BOOK : 

*You will never know that God is all you need until God is all you’ve got.

*Accidents are just incidents in God’s good plan for you.

*Everything! Romans 8:28–29 explains why: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son.”

*This is one of the most misquoted and misunderstood passages in the Bible. It doesn’t say, “God causes everything to work out the way I want it to.” Obviously that’s not true. It also doesn’t say, “God causes everything to work out to have a happy ending on earth.” That is not true either. There are many unhappy endings on earth.

*We live in a fallen world. Only in heaven is everything done perfectly the way God intends.

*To fully understand Romans 8:28–29 you must consider it phrase by phrase.

1. “We know”: Our hope in difficult times is not based on positive thinking, wishful thinking, or natural optimism. It is a certainty based on the truths that God is in complete control of our universe and that he loves us. 

2. “That God causes”: There’s a Grand Designer behind everything. Your life is not a result of random chance, fate, or luck. There is a master plan. History is His story. God is pulling the strings. We make mistakes, but God never does. God cannot make a mistake — because he is God.

  3. “to work together”: Not separately or independently. The events in your life work together in God’s plan. They are not isolated acts, but interdependent parts of the process to make you like Christ. To bake a cake you must use flour, salt, raw eggs, sugar, and oil. Eaten individually, each is pretty distasteful or even bitter. But bake them together and they become delicious. If you will give God all your distasteful, unpleasant experiences, he will blend them together for good.

4. “For the good”: This does not say that everything in life is good. Much of what happens in our world is evil and bad, but God specializes in bringing good out of it. In the official family tree of Jesus Christ, four women are listed: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. Tamar seduced her father-in-law to get pregnant. Rahab was a prostitute. Ruth was not even Jewish and broke the law by marrying a Jewish man. Bathsheba committed adultery with David, which resulted in her husband’s murder. These were not exactly sterling reputations, but God brought good out of bad, and Jesus came through their lineage. God’s purpose is greater than our problems, our pain, and even our sin.

5. “Of those who love God and are called”: This promise is only for God’s children. It is not for everyone. All things work for bad for those living in opposition to God who insist on having their own way.

6. “According to his purpose”: What is that purpose? It is that we “become like his Son.” Everything God allows to happen in your life is permitted for that purpose!verything”: God’s plan for your life involves all that happens to you — including your mistakes, your sins, and your hurts. It includes illness, debt, disasters, divorce, and death of loved ones. God can bring good out of the worst evil. He did at Calvary.

*Building Christlike Character

We are like jewels, shaped with the hammer and chisel of adversity. If a jeweler’s hammer isn’t strong enough to chip off our rough edges, God will use a sledgehammer. If we’re really stubborn, he uses a jackhammer. He will use whatever it takes.

*Every problem is a character-building opportunity, and the more difficult it is, the greater the potential for building spiritual muscle and moral fiber. Paul said, “We know that these troubles produce patience. And patience produces character.”15 What happens outwardly in your life is not as important as what happens inside you. Your circumstances are temporary, but your character will last forever.

*The Bible often compares trials to a metal refiner’s fire that burns away the impurities. Peter said, “These troubles come to prove that your faith is pure. This purity of faith is worth more than gold.” A silversmith was asked, “How do you know when the silver is pure?” He replied, “When I see my reflection in it.” When you have been refined by trials, people can see Jesus’ reflection in you. James said, “Under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.”

Responding to Problems as Jesus Would ...

Problems don’t automatically produce what God intends. Many people become bitter, rather than better, and never grow up. You have to respond the way Jesus would.

*It is vital that you stay focused on God’s plan, not your pain or problem.

*That is how Jesus endured the pain of the cross, and we are urged to follow his example: “Keep your eyes on Jesus, our leader and instructor. He was willing to die a shameful death on the cross because of the joy he knew would be his afterwards.”

*Corrie ten Boom, who suffered in a Nazi death camp, explained the power of focus: “If you look at the world, you’ll be distressed. If you look within, you’ll be depressed. But if you look at Christ, you’ll be at rest!” Your focus will determine your feelings.

*The secret of endurance is to remember that your pain is temporary but your reward will be eternal. Moses endured a life of problems “because he was looking ahead to his reward.” Paul endured hardship the same way. He said, “Our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever!”

*Refuse to give up. Be patient and persistent. The Bible says, “Let the process go on until your endurance is fully developed, and you will find that you have become men of mature character … with no weak spots.”

*If you are facing trouble right now, don’t ask, “Why me?” Instead ask, “What do you want me to learn?” Then trust God and keep on doing what’s right. “You need to stick it out, staying with God’s plan so you’ll be there for the promised completion.”33 Don’t give up — grow up!