Does your life ever seem out of control? Does the guilt of mistakes and wrongs in your past haunt you? Does the present seem to never make sense? Does the thought of the future and eventually death paralyze you with fear? Do you wish you could know the destiny of your life?
If you have ever been troubled by these questions, then I have some good news for you. There is Someone Who is in control, He knows all about you, and He cares for you. Let me share with you from the Scripture the plan of grace God has for you.
First, He wants to forgive you of your past. How does that sound? To have the weight and burden of sin totally lifted from your shoulders is certainly a wonderful thought. It can be a wonderful reality! Jesus said in John 3:16 and 17, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Do not hesitate. Obtain the relief found in Jesus Christ from the unbearable burden of your past – today. Romans 10:13 assures our acceptance by saying, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Secondly, He wants to give you peace and joy for your present. Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” He accomplishes this by providing His presence, His promises, and His people. These three provisions offer a peace and joy that this world cannot afford. The apostle John said,in 1 John 1:3 and 4, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you (God’s promise), that ye also may have fellowship with us (God’s people): and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ (God’s presence). And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full (our present).”
Finally, He wants to let you in on His future. Just listen to Him as He speaks through the prophet, Jeremiah. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end (Jeremiah 29:11).” Paul emphasizes the wonderful future we have in Christ in Ephesians 2:7, “That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.”
All of this is given to us by the grace of God – without merit. Once you have experienced the forgiveness of your past, tasted the fullness of your present, and then glimpsed the future you have been promised, the only thing left to do is to adopt the purpose of Christ. Paul said it like this in Acts 20:24 “But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.”
Get in on God’s plan of grace. The choice is up to you!
