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Being Part of God's Plan // Thursday E-Devotion

Be patient with me, God isn’t through with me yet…there is an old kids song with those words, and I often have to re-think that thought when dealing with my own children or when asking my wife (or others) to deal with me. Being part of God’s plan has everything to do with allowing Him to work in our lives.

It is a process that takes time. The carpet installation people show up, and it takes them time to put in the carpet. The painters show up, and it takestime to finish the process. The car guy, the cleaning people, the shopper … whoever you may be thinking about takes time to finish the process they are in.

We live in a world that is over run with process but desires quick fixes and microwaves and everything to be faster. BUT God is still working. He uses this stuff to give us patience. He uses life to teach us about His plan. All the while, God asks us and wants us to be part of His plan.

"Don't always be wishing for what you don't have. For real life and real living are not related to how rich we are." - Luke 12:15 (LB)

Let God work. Let His plan come together. Watch His hand and listen to His voice for direction. Let Him open and close the doors. That is not easy, but it is best. If you want to be successful or be great, let God’s timing and God’s plan be in place.

“The fact is, great people are really just ordinary people with an extraordinary amount of determination. Great people don’t know how to quit.” – Rick Warren

In our new church, I want to do and see great things for God. But it is all in His timing. While standing on the sidelines of the Bassett football game last Saturday one of our men reminded me that my time and God’s time are often not the same. He hit the nail on the head. I needed to hear that, but I wasn’t expecting it.

“Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. When God's children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night.…Don't try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all!” Romans 12:12-13,16 (NLT)

Just remember being part of God’s plan is the best place to be. God wants each of us in His plan!

Testimony from Rick Warren: “Some of you have been praying for something specific and you haven’t yet gotten the answer. In Habbakuk 2:3 God says, “These things I plan [for your life] won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, for these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient. They will not be overdue a single day.” God’s timing is perfect. Our church claimed this verse from Habbakuk for 13 years. For 13 years we had no building of our own, and the church kept getting bigger and bigger. We’d say, “Everybody else has a building. How come we don’t have a building?” The reason was that God wanted to put us on 79 acres of land. He had a bigger plan. The piece of property we now own wasn’t even available when we started Saddleback. There weren’t even roads leading to it. God had a plan and slowly, steadily, surely the vision was being fulfilled.”

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