Providence- And YOU!

 YOU AND GOD’S PROVIDENCE.

What about you? Think about the circumstances, moves in your life, the people who came in and out, sharing he Gospel with you, perhaps over a period of time, perhaps once and then they were gone, “But God,” circumstanced your life, events and that of others to cross your path, events, circumstances all been knit to an end, your eternal good and welfare. Your salvation and His glory. God working in the affairs of people! God working and weaving circumstances in your life.

PROVIDENCE AND SALVATION;

In my own case bringing me half way around the world, meeting a man from England and then others sharing with me, then a man from Australia, hearing the Word of God, going to a church meeting just to get people off my back, so I went to tell them – I’ve tried it, but it’s not for me.” “But God…” He was after me, pursuing me and ruling and over ruling events, orchestrating them and people and then one glorious day, He convicted me of my sin and my need for Him and His mercy and the ability to repent, turning to God and placing my faith in the LORD Jesus! God providentially orchestrating life’s events, moving people in and out of my life and exposing me to the Gospel and saving me from His wrath -{Rom 1:18;}; The penalty of sin-{Rom 6:23} and the dominion of satan-{2 Tim 2;25-26; Eph 2:1-3}. Saving me FROM…saving me  TO…justified by faith, a new standing in favor with God, the right to become a children of God! Adopted into His family, accepted in the Beloved, Sealed, secured by the Spirit, He has granted us Divine power and EVERYTHING to life and Godliness… and precious and magnificent promises… to empower, encourage us! – {Read 2  Rom 5;1-2; Eph 1:4-5, 13; 2 Peter 1;3-4}.

PROVIDENCE AND SANCTIFICATION.

“God is working in you both to desire and do according to His pleasure.”- {Phil 2:13}. “He who began in you will complete what He has begun in you…”- {Phil 1;6}. Sanctification  is God changing you. He changes Your thinking using His Word to renew your thinking. Truth of His Word, dwelling in obeying Truth -{Read Rom 12;2; John 17:17;Phil 4:8-9}. He uses trials to change us through responding properly to trials-{James 1:2-5}; He uses Suffering– {1 Peter 5;10}.. He uses gifted teachers  for equipping us for the work of the ministry..to teach us and change us as we submit to His teaching-{Eph 4:11-15}. Changes us through Prayer– {Col 4:12} These are some ways HE changes us.

And not only salvation but providing everything you need to live Godly, precious and magnificent promises to encourage, change and conform you to the image of Christ. Empowering you to love Him, others and honor Him and meet you in your circumstances, to see things from His end!-{2 Peter 1;3-4}

PROVIDENCE AND SHARING THE GOSPEL AND ENCOURAGING HIS PEOPLE TO SHARE.

God is working even when you don’t see it, He is circumstancing life, people coming in and out that affords you opportunities to share Him with others. As Paul said,” I want you to know brothers and sisters, MY CIRCUMSTANCES have worked out for the furtherance of the Gospel…”-{Phil 1:12}.And in verse 13 the praetorian guard, men who had  gone from Rome to Philippi  as powerful representatives of Rome were there and they had heard the Gospel, why? BECAUSE GOD had providentially orchestrated their and his circumstances to HIS End, His Name and fame! Believers were “encouraged to speak the WORD of God without fear,”-{v14}. Why?  “Because of my imprisonment.” In verse 16 he wrote, “I am appointed for the defense of the Gospel.”- {1:16}, The word ‘appointed” means “set,” and was used of soldiers strategically placed with a specific assignment! God had so loved them that He had Paul in those circumstances and Paul saw them as opportunities to advance the Gospel! God will use you to reach the unreachable, and He placing you there is part of the Big- the GOD Picture. And you are part of it.

 PROVIDENCE AND MEETING ALL OF YOUR NEEDS;

Presently, God is also providing for your needs and before you even ask He knows your need. {Matt 6;8}.”And my God will supply all of our needs according to His glorious riches in Christ.” God will meet all of your..needs. That is His promise to you and How He does it is up to Him! Paul was in prison and God placed him on the heart of the Philippian believers and a man named Epaphroditus came to stay with Paul and serve him and also they sent him a sacrificial gift…and Paul commends them as they had supported him from the start which was approx sixteen years previous in Acts 16. Paul imprisoned, how would he have his needs met. Hundreds of miles away God was orchestrating having saved a people and now placing in their hearts to share sacrificially and as Paul said not that he sought the gift but the reward that came to their giving heart. God will get to you through someone to meet your need. He may use the believer’s or He may even use  a non believer like in the case of Nehemiah chapter two when the king was used to assist Nehemiah.

He who did not with-hold His Son will not with hold all you need. He orchestrates people, circumstances, to bring about the meeting of  your need, that you might know Him better and make Him Known and enjoy Him on your trip Home, to one day be with Him.

Providence And Your Death;

Even YOUR DEATH will not be an accident but an appointment. “IT is APPOINTED…for man once to die…”-{Read Heb 9:27}. He told Peter how he would die and how his death would bring Him glory. All orchestrated by Him- The Providence of our kind gracious loving caring God, UNDERTAKING EVEN OUR DEATH, He has numbered our days! -{Psalm 139:16}. And He has prepared an eternal Home for us.-{John 14:1-6}

How Should You Respond?

“…giving thanks {continually}to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. The Incomparable Christ For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. “– {Col 1;12-14}

Note we are to give thanks. It is one of the evidences of a maturing congregation, an individual growing in their faith-{Col1;9}… growing in  gratitude to the Father for saving them. Grammatically it is continually thanking Him. It is a new attitude and pattern of life. Thanking Him who has qualified. They word means “authorized.”  He has “authorized” your salvation, continually thank Him. When is the last time He has heard you thank Him?  Do you thank Him for saving you? Thank Him for your new inheritance, Thank Him  for rescuing you,Thank Him for Transferring you from darkness to His Beloved Son. Thank Him for redemption. Thank Him for forgiveness. Continually be thanking  Him! Think and Thank Him!

THANK HIM and THINK about the people and circumstances you find yourself in and be about His business.

He has loved you, setting His love upon you, circumstancing your life, events, circumstances people He has used to bring you to the place where He saved you… Thank Him, it is only reasonable, fitting and He is worthy of your gratitude!

God Created, Owns it all;

God Preserves,Sustains it all;

God is Sovereign, Reigns over all!

” The doctrine of providence teaches Christians that they are never in the grip of blind forces (fortune, chance, luck, fate); all that happens to them is divinely planned, and each event comes as a new summons to trust, obey, and rejoice, knowing that all is for one’s spiritual and eternal good (Rom. 8:28).”-{J.I. Packer}.