Proverbs 19:21  ‘There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.’

DAILY READING  2 Timothy 2; Jeremiah 7-8; Psalm 122

James Garfield, the 20th president of the United States, is the only Gospel minister to have served as the nation’s president. However, it is amazing how God dramatically changed the course of his life. Born into a Christian family, his mother taught him the Gospel right from his childhood. But as he grew older, James had no interest in living for God, but rather he desired to be a sailor. When he was 18 years old, he planned to take a trip with some of  his friends on a canal boat. But two days before the trip, he injured his foot while chopping wood. It was only a small cut, but when he put on a pair of his  homemade socks which had been dyed blue, the dye in the socks poisoned the wound making it to become worse. As a result of this, James was compelled to stay at home while his friends left on the journey without him. James was unhappy that he had missed the trip, but while he was home, a powerful preacher came to their town to hold revival meetings. With nothing else to do, James attended the meetings. The message he heard touched him deeply, and as a result, he surrendered his  heart to The Lord. He took his faith seriously and immediately began to serve God, sharing the Gospel with others.

With his new faith; new desires and purposes took hold of him. Soon he abandoned his dream of being a sailor and determined to seek an education, to enable him serve God better. He went to College, studied law and was admitted to the Ohio Bar Association in 1860. He became an ordained Gospel minister and later went  into politics. He was elected to the Ohio Senate and became a major player in national politics and then on November 2, 1880, he was elected the 20th president of the United States.

It is interesting to note that though Garfield’s plan was to be a sailor, his encounter with Christ, altered everything.  Indeed redemption offers us a glorious destiny in Christ. It is a destiny accompanied by grace and divine enablement to become all God has ordained for us to be.

It is God’s plan for the redeemed to be pacesetters and trail blazers. We are ordained kings and priests to reign on the earth. We are the salt of the earth, the light of the world, we are cities set on hills that cannot be hidden. And God has lined up the circumstances that will  bring us to this glorious destiny. In His plan, grace, favor, supernatural opportunities and divine connections are all lined up to help you arrive at your preordained place. Frustration in life only results if we leave God’s plan to follow our own paths.. No matter how beautiful our own devices, it is only God’s plan that can stand the test of time.

Proverbs 19:21 says ‘There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand.’

Only that which The Lord does abides forever. And only the Lord’s doing can be marvelous in our eyes. Indeed God’s plan for us surpasses whatever plans we may have for ourselves. As heavens are higher than the earth so are God’s thoughts higher than ours. But access to His  glorious destiny for us is by coming to Him because no one has the capacity to execute a divine plan except God. And it is only by His grace at work in our lives that we can become all He has ordained for us to be in this life.

PRAYER: Lord, please help me to feed constantly on Your Word, and to maintain a prayerful lifestyle, so that I can be sensitive to Your leadings. By Your grace I shall fulfill the glorious destiny You have ordained for in Jesus Name

QUOTE

It takes a heart for God to make a mark in the sands of time. – WORDBITE 201.