There's a Plan for That

You don’t matter. Everything you want to become and want to do in life is never going to happen. You are stuck, and the only good that comes from your life is that you managed to live it until you die – whenever that day comes. You might bag groceries. Maybe you are at part-time job. Everything you have done is worth nothing. In fact, you are an accident. You were not meant to be alive. When others are happy, you think it’s fake. There is no way they are happy because you cannot imagine what happiness looks like and feels like. When you die, no one, with the exception of few, are really going to care. You did not accomplish anything, so this idea of pursuing life is not worth the trouble.

The truth is, you are not doing well. Even if you did lie on the outside, the truth is sitting in the pit of your stomach like a virus. It eats away at you, yet you bottle it up and shake it. You hope it will disappear, but it only grows. What started out as a beautiful rose is now withering away, as crimson red turns into a dangling, crumbling mess. You are vomit, spit on a wall and refused to be cleaned. Nobody wants the inside scoop because the truth is too ugly. What will people think when they find out you believe you have no purpose?

Have you ever believed this? Some of you have, some of you haven't, and some of you fall somewhere between 'I have' and 'I have not.'

Nobody’s story is the same. However, in everyone’s life, curveballs have been thrown our way. We have struck out before, and it has not been pretty. Some of us have gone an entire season striking out, and, once you make contact with the ball, it does not go anywhere. Although our stories are all unique and separate from the next person, we all have one thing in common: our lives are riddled with struggles. No one is perfect, and life has never been handed out on a silver platter. Yet, despite all of the struggles life holds, we have one more thing in common:

There’s an individual plan for all of us.

Take Jesus, savior of the world, brutally beaten to save us. He died the most horrendous death, that, similar to the goodness of the Alpha and Omega, we cannot imagine how his death went. While the Gospels are all about Jesus’ life on Earth and death on the cross, it is also about God’s plan for Jesus. As Jesus lived on Earth, he mentions several times that he is only executing what the Father (God) commands:  "So Jesus explained, ‘I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does” (John 5:19).

At this time, Jesus broke the Sabbath by working on that day, and the Pharisees were furious. In fact, they wanted Jesus dead because he was not following the law. However, Jesus does not answer to the Pharisees; he answers to his Father, who has a plan for him.

Even before Jesus was born, God had a specific plan for him. Matthew 1:23 says, “The virgin (Mary) will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’)”. There is no, “If you want to name him Immanuel, it’s up for grabs,” or “I want Mary to have a son, but it’s ok if you’re not ready for it yet.” God is not a ‘maybe’ God. He had a plan for Jesus, and it was fulfilled because Jesus was commanded to live it out.

God made his plan known to the earthly parents of Jesus, but it was not just in Jesus’ birth that God was there. Just as Jesus was dying, he whispered, “‘It is finished.’ With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30). Jesus knew he had fulfilled the duties given from God, as God had his plan laid out to Jesus.

Man of Steel is one of the best Hollywood films to use in this context. Clark, known as Kal-El in Krypton, had a purpose, which his Kryptonic father knew about long before Clark was born. At one point in the film, his father encourages his son that he will enter the world and save the people from being destroyed. Furthermore, Clark’s earth father (Jonathan Kent) knew of his purpose and plan. “I believe you were sent here for a reason,” Jonathan says. See, each father knew Clark had a purpose long before the plan was in motion. Clark, though struggles and obstacles often came his way, had to save Earth from being eliminated. As Superman faces the reality of his purpose, his real father encourages him: “You will give people an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.”

So, as you see your life crumble before you; as you feel the things you love vanish, remember that God has given you purpose since before you were born. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11).

One day, Satan approached God. God, knowing what Satan wanted to do, offered, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” God allowed Satan to test Job. He knew Job would withstand Satan, and when we walk in step with God and his plan for us, we too can live with purpose and avoid giving in to Satan’s tricks and schemes.

God has a wonderful plan for all of us; and, to believe the lie that you do not, well, is the worst lie you will ever believe.

The Great (Misfortune) Gatsby

He reaches out slowly, as the green light dimly shatters the atmosphere that covers the water. Gatsby desires something he cannot put his hands on. He is desperate, wanting that intangible radiance to become physical, something he can hold, something he can claim to be his own. This green light resembles hope. It resembles everything Gatsby wishes he had. The light creates a steady beat, a heartbeat, and Gatsby will do anything to place it in his possession.

We are like the Gatsby. We live for things we cannot grasp, and we spend our lives trying to grab it. As Gatsby tried to get Daisy back, it ultimately created a frenzy and the illusion that Daisy was free for the taking – that the past could be relived. Unfortunately, we sacrifice our true nature and begin falling in the trap that the green light is why we are alive. We obsess and obsess until the green light vanishes; all we have left is the mess we've created from betraying our true love.

Gatsby, a mysterious young man who hid himself behind the parties he threw, was always considered a highly-regarded gentleman who received praise from the most well-respected officials of the United States and internationally. Yet, his motive behind throwing such decorated parties was plain and simple: to grab the attention of one thing that he could never obtain – Daisy.

We, too often, distract ourselves with the world’s desires. Like soap, we try to hold on, but these disguised “gifts” slip right through our fingers. We become possessed and enraged, murdering our innocence and pouting over what we cannot have. We throw tantrums and shackle ourselves to the wall, all the while pretending we are the victim of our stupidity. We flip the switch on ourselves as darkness consumes us and the light becomes a distant memory. Obsession leaks in, and it’s too late before we realize we never needed the flickering light to live.

One day, a wealthy man came to Jesus and asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied by telling him he must keep all the commandments. Proudly, the man replied, “Teacher, all these I have kept from my youth. (Mark 10:20)” Jesus calmly commanded, “You lack one thing: go, sell all that you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. (v. 21)” The man left disheartened, “for he had great possessions. (v. 22)”

Unfortunately, we are like the man who has great possessions. Notice that Jesus said the man would have “treasure in heaven.” The man’s possessions meant such a great deal to him, that it outweighed his anticipation to receive treasures in heaven. He became so obsessed with the worldly possessions; they began to define him – like the green light that flickers. He abandoned his true love for something that fades.

Fortunately, everything we need is right in front of us. It is not in the parties we throw, or the people we know; it is not in the classes we take and pass, the education we earn, or the job we work. We do not find our purpose in the television we purchase or the vacations we take. Our life, our hope, and our purpose is found in Christ and Christ alone. He is our fortress, our refuge (read the book of Psalm), and our lover. No wonder Jesus told the rich man to sell all he has! Our riches cause chaos, like it did with Gatsby. Our identity is in God, and as long as we are reaching out for the green light, we are only living out an illusion.

We are encouraged to keep our eyes on him. Proverbs 4:25-27 provides the wisdom we need to stay focused on what is right: “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” And the green light? Do not look at it. It flickers, it wavers, and it is a tempting call to walk down the wide path of temporary riches and fame. Keep your eyes on the Kingdom of Heaven, and treasures of the heavenly realm will await you.

Throwing Stones

If you were asked if you have ever sinned before, you would probably nod your head or reply with a hesitant "yes." You might even boldly go into exhorbitant detail, making others provide you a quizzical look. Well, if you lived in the Old Testament, you would not be as prepared to nod your head.
If you broke Sabbath and did not keep it holy, you were put to death (Exodus 31:14); if you curse your father or mother, you were put to death (Exodus 21:17). In John 8:2-11, the Pharisees brought forth a woman caught in the act of committing adultery. Armed with stones and eager to punish the woman, the Pharisees asked Jesus what should be done to the woman (the intention was to trap Jesus). The Pharisees added that the Law of Moses commanded such women to be stoned.
So, what do all of the accounts have in common? If you sin, you die. Under the Law of Moses and the Old Covanent laws found in the book of Exodus, it was made clear that there were major punishments for committing various sins, and the major punishment was death (Exodus 20-23). There was no hope if you were caught in sin because that is what the Old Covenant was about.

Now, if we go back to the story of the adulterous woman, we notice that Jesus' response connects to what the New Covenant does in contrast to the Old Covenant:

"Let anyone of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her. (John 8:7)"

We are all seen as sinners, including the Pharisees, yet the difference between the Old and New Covenant is not the sinning, but the saving. Consider what made the New Covenant a necessary change to the laws:

 First:

Hebrews 8:6 makes it clear: "But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood (Old Covenant), for he is the one who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises (NLT)" In other words, God has brought about a better covenant through Jesus Christ. 

Second:

Hebrews 8:7 gives us the reason a new agreement was formed: "If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said: 'The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah.'" Keep in mind as to why God formed a new covanent through Jesus. Clearly, God found fault with the people. We could not live up to the temptations (consider Cain in Genesis 4), the evil, and the ability to remain faithful. To put it plainly, we could not uphold the old covenant because we were dirty sinners. We needed hope, and the New Covenant was that hope.

Third:

Hebrews 8:12 is the redemption scene: "And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins." It is through this statement that grace has been magnified through the remodeling of the Old Covenant. God, seeing that we messed up the Old Covenant, wanted to express his love and grace towards us by creating a new agreement that we could withstand.

Exit death and punishment.

Enter grace and love.

Before we throw the Old Covenant out because it is considered "obsolete" (Hebrews 13:8), we have to realize the intentions of Jesus. While Jesus did come to introduce a new Covenant, it does not mean we should erase the Old Covenant that was around for so long. Jesus came to fulfill the law, not abolish it (read Matthew 5:17) - as a puzzle piece finishes a puzzle. The law, incomplete through the disobedience of the people, is now made complete through Jesus.

Most importantly, the Old Covanent required that animal sacrifices were made every year to atone for one's sins. The beauty of the New Covanent is that Jesus is that sacrifice. Blood sacrifices are no longer necessary and all stones can permanently be put away because Jesus is considered the permanent savior of sins. Not only is He the symbol of saving grace, but He is also the introduction of a new promise of life through the grace of God.

Although it is the transgressions of the people that caused the New Covenant to surface, we can take joy in what this New Covenant is all about: Love and Grace. "You are put to death," was the phrase that came with the laws of the Old Covanent. "You are redeemed, forgiven, and covered by the blood of Jesus" is the phrase that comes with the New Covenant. The Law of Love and Grace is now the engine that runs the vehicle.

So, dear friends, let us live in this glorious era and realize the New Covenant is symbolic of the love and grace God bestows upon us everyday. We are no longer the image of sin, but the representation of forgiveness, love, and unfathomable grace.