Tag Archives: god has a plan

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Greg Laurie – Nothing to Show

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“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown.” —Revelation 3:11

Did you know that it is possible to have a saved soul and a lost life? A saved soul means that you are saved because you believe in Jesus and not because of the works you do. You have turned from your sin and put your faith in Christ. And God has a plan for your life: He wants you to serve Him.

But a lot of Christians don’t do that much for the Lord, though they should. And this means they have a lost life. The Bible says that we will stand before God one day, and our work will be tested to see what sort it is (see 1 Corinthians 3:12–14). If it is built on the wrong foundation, then it will be burned up, but our soul will be saved.

Jesus said, “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take away your crown” (Revelation 3:11). Hold fast. Hang on. Don’t let go. Don’t relax your grip. If you do, you could lose your crown.

The crown is a symbol of rewards that are awaiting Christians. To lose your crown means to lose your reward. The Bible speaks of a crown that God gives for our faithfulness to Him (see Revelation 3:11). First Thessalonians 2:19 mentions a crown of rejoicing, which would appear to be a crown for winning souls. Then, in 2 Timothy 4:8, there is a crown of righteousness. James 1:12 speaks of a crown of life for enduring temptation and persevering under trial.

These are the rewards God will give to each of us. But how sad it will be for those who stand before Him on that day and have nothing to show for the life that was given to them.

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Charles Stanley – Missing God’s Will

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Psalm 119:17-24

How would you describe the process of discovering God’s will? Would you call it . . .

Fantasy (“I do not believe God has a plan for specific areas of my life”)?

Mystery (“God has a plan, but it is so hard to figure out”)?

Biography (“I know Scripture reveals who God is and what His plans are, but at times I get confused”)?

Let’s look at some of the reasons that we might miss God’s will.

• Handling God’s Word improperly. When our days become jam-packed with commitments and activities, we have trouble maintaining a steady intake of Scripture. Without significant time in the Word, we tend to forget what matters to God. When we start mixing the world’s lies with the Father’s truth, we will step out of His plan. Other times we will incorrectly use Scripture to bolster decisions we have already made. Or, when the Bible does not match what we want, we might reject it and do things our own way.

• Picking the wrong guide. When making decisions, we sometimes rely too heavily on other peoples’ opinions. We think that the easiest and quickest way to get answers is to ask fellow Christians or unbelievers who seem “wise.” In other instances, we use our friends’ lifestyle as a yardstick for God’s will: we decide that if they can act a certain way, so can we. Or we might assume that if our way is better than their choices, God will approve.

Making Scripture your daily companion is the best way not to miss God’s plan. Be prepared to spend time reading and listening while the Spirit teaches you what God’s will is for your life.