Does God Have A Plan For Man?

    For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

In our men's group we discussed the question, "Does God have a plan for our lives?" Most would answer, "Of course, but how much does His plan cover, all good, or all evil or maybe a little of both?

One thing is for sure, God knows all things, including everything His former son, Lucifer does! I don't believe God plans evil for His children, but for His enemies that's another question, just ask Sodom and Gomorrah. Noah could tell you also as God planned to destroy everyone on the planet but he and his family!

I believe He plans for our lives and when evil, sickness, or accidents happen God plans to turn it into good! God is a good God and He loves us, more than we love our own children. I also think that His plan was made eons ago before time began because God has always been, with no beginning or end, He is forever!

    And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

PREDESTINED

    For whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:29

There is a false doctrine called Predestination that teaches people that God chose whom He wanted to save and those He wanted to perish, I don't believe that! The problem is, God knows who gets saved and who is lost and so He prepares and plans for the life of those who are born again because He knows the future!

Although God sees and knows the future, because of man's freewill, he chooses his own path and God cannot conform the outcome to His desire, so He makes plans for those who are saved by their own faith! Think about how hard it would be to see into the future and know who will perish, those that He loved.

God does plan to warn mankind throughout their lives so that they are without excuse for their ignorance and foolish choices. But the outcome of their life is whether they chose to be saved or not.

    Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called, whom He called these He also justified, whom He justified, these He also glorified. Romans 8:30

GOD DOESN'T WISH ANY TO PERISH

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. II Peter3:9

Proof texting is taking scripture out of context to make it prove your belief, but Peter says that there is no private interpretation. In other words, take for instance predestination, there are scriptures you can take out of context to prove it, and those that disprove it. But back to our Message that God plans our way.

In the previous scripture God says He does not want anyone to perish, (go to Hell) but for all to come to repentance. He says in John that He loves the whole world and that He sent His Son to die for us all! It would be an impossible thing to understand the mind and will of God, a being with no beginning or end and the ability to see into the future and know all things! Amazing!

What would it be like if Adam hadn't sinned? The world would definitely be a better place but that didn't happen because he and Miss Eve ate of that which was forbidden and the whole world fell into sin!

    For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. I Timothy 2:3,4

GOD KNOWS US BEFORE WE WERE BORN!

    "Before I formed you (Jeremiah) in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified (set apart) you; I ordained (appointed) you a prophet to the nations." Jeremiah 1:5

When Jeremiah was born we wouldn't have known if he would follow God or not, but God seeing the outcome of the future did! That is how He could set him apart and appointed him to be a prophet.

So, God plans our ways and gives us a destiny because He sees how we turn out once we are born again, He knows and sees us in the future. I'll leave this Message for you to sort out what God is saying and decide how you will receive it. Know this, He has a plan for your life and will bring it to fruition!
    
    Now a question for us to ponder, God says He knew us before we were formed in the womb, does that mean we were alive before He created us, in other words, we were spirits or souls before He sent us to be born as a human being? Let me know your thoughts, questions, and answers! God bless!

    A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9

Your servant in Christ, Timothy Laughlin