bits from bob....
Finding the Future
by Robert J. Young
©, 2001, Robert J. Young
[permission is given to reprint with credit noted]
"The future is before us. In once sense, it is all that matters."
A plaque caught my attention: "Today is the first day of the rest of your life." Another declared: "You better plan for the future--you're going to live the rest of your life there."
Now is so fleeting, it is hardly identifiable. The past is but a memory. The future is now! Time that was future when you began reading this sentence is in the past by the time you finish.
Therefore, we cannot afford to neglect the future. The future must find us talking about the future--our future, individually, as Christians, as church. We must determine the very best directions for the future. It is the most important and significant thing we can do. We must not err. We must plan for the future.
The future belongs to all of us. Most of all, it belongs to God. Above all, we want his will to be done. It is going to be exciting and interesting to see what he has in store for our future. It will be challenging to see him use frail, human instruments as the means of accomplishing his purposes on earth.
What do you see in the future? I have no crystal ball, but there are some things I believe we ought to see as we look and plan for the future.
Find God. Make absolutely sure you have found God. Make certain you know him and love him. Don't let go of God. Maintain that relationship at all costs.
Use yourself. Whatever talents God has given you, whatever abilities, whatever service, whatever ministry--make the very best use of your life. Seize the opportunity. Make your life count. When every member of this family is used by God, the future is boundless.
Trust God. Here many stumble. With the first difficulty, we let go of the first two goals. The enemy is real, evil is rampant. Only God can see us through temptation, and trial, and traumatic events.
Understand God's will. God's will is understandable, God's Word has much to tell us about the future. It reveals the future of mankind, the future of Satan, the future of the church. Understanding makes clear whose side we want to be on. Understanding God's Word helps us decide what to do, where to go.
Reach others. You are here for a purpose. You live in a world where multitudes are not aware of how much they are loved. Many are perishing. God never intended us to live in isolation. He desires that we reproduce, that we touch others' lives, that we bring more and more to his Son. How sad to behold many who are convinced that Jesus is the answer for which people are searching, but who will not give to others such an Answer. Sharing faith is critical to our future.
Expect eternity. The ultimate future for the believer is Heaven itself. This is why God sent Jesus, why Christ left Glory. This is the reason for the crucifixion. God has provided us with a wonderful future, but those without Christ really have no future. Look into the future far enough to expect the farthest future. Know the future for a Christian is exciting.
I cannot see clearly the future God has in mind, but I know it is exciting! Plan to be part of God's plans for the future!
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Last updated November 23, 2001.