Before Time Began—God’s Plan Was to Send His Only Son—JESUS!
“Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature;
(The 1st Letter of Paul to the Corinthians 2: 6-10 NASB)
a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;
but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery,
the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory;
the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood;
for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
but just as it is written,
THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD,
AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN,
ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.”
[the apostle Paul quotes Isaiah 64: 4]
For to us God revealed them through the Spirit;
for the Spirit searches all things,
even the depths of God.”
TIMES HAVE CHANGED. Today, if we wish to go camping:
- We must pre-arrange &
- We must reserve our camping spot &
- We must choose the date of arrival &
- We must indicate the date of departure & TODAY,
- We must select the perfect camping spot from looking at a computer screen.
TIMES HAVE CHANGED.
However, when we were young, we loved to tent camp, often taking my little brother and our two small nieces with us. The five of us would head off to the campground, often with our white fishing boat hooked to the back of our pick-up truck. The bed of the truck would be filled with our needed supplies:
- Our Tent.
- Our Cooler.
- Bicycles.
- Luggage filled with Clean Clothes.
- Totes full of ‘camping’ food (a.k.a. snacks!)
- Firewood.
- Lanterns.
- Sleeping Bags.
When we turned entered the campground, the first stop was the guard house, where we would indicate to the attendant that we wished to drive through the campground and search for our preferred camping spot. Always (back then), we were given the go-ahead, and off we would drive, at a slow space as our eyes searched for the perfect spot to pitch our tent. Once we found ‘the perfect spot,’ my husband would stop the truck for me to get out (you know, so I could stand in ‘the perfect camping site’) while he drove back to the guard house, completed the paperwork & paid the camping fee.
Pitching our tent became the first task once my husband returned, and the three children, who came with us, would ride their bikes while we worked to set up our campsite.
When pitching our tent, we searched the site for the most level space, and then, before getting out the tent, we cleared the ground of debris (rocks & sticks).
Have you ever really pondered the depth of this statement, when considering our person, our body, our TENT: “HE came & dwelt among us”?
- We are created to search God’s plan for us.
- We are created to seek God, to ask, to find Him.
- We are created to be amazed by God’s mystery.
Before Time Began—God’s Plan Was to Send His Only Son—JESUS—to Die for Each One of Us!
God’s secret wisdom has ALWAYS been to provide a way to know HIM!
- So, God sent His Son to us.
- So, God entered the world with the cry of a babe in a manger.
- So, God Incarnate was born in Bethlehem.
God’s Plan Made the Only Way for us to come to know—HIM!
“A voice is calling,
(The Book of Isaiah 40: 3-5 NASB)
“Clear the way for the LORD in the wilderness;
Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
Let every valley be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill be made low;
And let the rough ground become a plain,
And the rugged terrain a broad valley;
Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
And all flesh will see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”
- Even in the midst of the awful, GOD is here with us!
- Even in the midst of despair, there are so many reasons to rejoice in HIM!
- Even in the midst of every part of our lives, GOD IS SO GOOD!
- Even in the midst of change, GOD IS FAITHFUL & TRUE!
If you want to know how God cares for His creation, for humanity—look to Jesus. He clears the way, showers us with His love, makes the way of the Lord—perfectly prepared.
This Christmas, what is keeping you from allowing God to “come & dwell among you” inside your heart?
There is a heaven. There is a future. There is MORE than we can EVER IMAGINE!
“For from days of old they have not heard or perceived by ear,
(The Book of Isaiah 64: 4 NASB)
Nor has the eye seen a God besides You,
Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.”