Intervening with Interruptions

 


Paul had a mega job convincing the people of his time to embrace Christ and the resurrection.

The Athenians seemingly were always looking for something new to tell or hear.  Philosophers were abundant,  practically on the street corners it seems; debaters were common.

They accused Paul of being a babbler or picking up scraps of something new and peddling it.

There was Epicureanism (tranquility seeking), Stoicism (acceptance of life as inevitable), and Polytheism (the belief of multiple gods).  They accused Paul of propagating a religion of two new gods, i.e. Jesus and the resurrection.

It must have been very difficult for him to have to plow through all the ideologies, beliefs, and religions of the day.  He worked diligently, he and the people with him on the mission to tell others about Christ.

He suffered prison, beatings, shipwreck, and the stress of leading and mentoring people of the power of Jesus Christ and the resurrection.  God empowered him with strength, ability, and perseverance to get the gospel to the coming generations. 

Paul had a focused decision.  His purpose was focused.  He latched onto the calling and the “prize” before him.  (Philippians 3:14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus).  He chose to focus on what his purpose was and did not take anything else that would side track him and delay the goal.

That brings me to the next thing.  What are the things you or I are giving energy to with no good purpose?  It may be a worthy goal, but it is not the purpose God has called us to.  What will we say to Him when it is time to give account?  He gave us a hint about it in Psalm 33:10 (The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect) or Proverbs 19:21 (There are many plans in a man’s heart, nevertheless the Lord’s counsel, that will stand.)

I may make plans for myself but it is God who directs my steps.  If I commit or remove my works into God’s care my life’s purpose will come to be a reality. My plans cannot be contrary to God’s plans.  I will not work.  There is no self-plan that is successful!

Every interruption from God may be the thing that is in God’s plan even though it is not in my plan. We must see God’s intervention in our interruptions!  We must always line up our plans to work with God’s plans.  The best thing is to give our plans up altogether and follow the plans He has for us.  Once we surrender our plans to Him, and follow His plan,  you and I would have much less frustration; however, that is a narrow place to find, because we seem to always get  off track and go back to our plans rather than being disciplined nearly enough to follow God wholly in His plans.

The Lord does not think like you and I think.  (Isaiah 55:9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.)  The only way to tap into His plan is to bring our ways and our thoughts to the light that we may see, and add another step, once we see; we must lay our thoughts and plans down and make a choice to follow His ways and thoughts.

We can never fathom all that is God or all God is, His wisdom is rich, but we can line up with His plan and trust Him for the results.  This brings on the necessity of search and examine.  We must look at it all without holding anything back

 

 

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