Week 5: Devotions, God has a plan

It should provide much reassurance to know that God has a plan for our lives. Each day as we wake up, the goal should be to ask God to reveal that plan to us, so that we might follow it to the best of our ability. But most often, when we wake in the morning, the last thing on our mind is to think about God’s plans. Instead, we usually start thinking about our own plans. What to wear? What to eat for breakfast? Am I late? Again? At times our thoughts as we wake are much more troublesome. The fight that we had right before bed. The bills that are not paid and won’t be for a while. Do we really have time to find out God’s plans? Do we really want to know? What if His plans include more trials? This is the time that we must remember that God’s plans are perfect. It is truly amazing how he can use the most insignificant or the most awful circumstances and turn them into good. We might come to Him at our worst, and He will show us His best for us. Absolutely everything that happens in our lives, every time we mess up, or do our best, it is part of God’s plans.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.   Jer. 29:11

Thinking of this verse first thing in the morning might help us to remember that God’s plans are always for good, and we need to seek them out. God wants us to seek Him, He wants us to pursue Him and find out what His plans are for our lives. Hearing God’s plans for might be scary at first, but knowing them seems much scarier.

Your challenge for this week, when you wake…pray that God will reveal His plan for you.

Then think of the children in your class, how is God using them to fulfill His plans? Are you helping them by encouraging their talents and abilities or are you standing in their way? Pray that you will be an encouragement to them every day.

Read: Genesis 12-20, Go ahead and skim through it, to make sure that you remember the key parts.

-being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, Col. 1:11

Waiting, waiting, waiting…patience, patience, patience. I know we have all heard before that you should never ask God to give you patience. Because He will make sure that you get plenty of practice.  But in our society today, we have very little patience and very little willingness to wait for things.

In our bible story this week God asked Abraham to wait, God kept telling Abraham don’t worry, it will happen. The promises I made to you will be fulfilled, but you must be patient, you must wait. Abraham did wait, and God was faithful to Abraham. God did give Him what He promised.

So has God asked us to wait for something? Is God asking us for patience, is God telling us not to worry, because He will fulfill His promise to you? Is God asking us to be faithful to Him? To not give up on Him?

Ask yourself all of these questions, write down something that God has asked you to wait for. That He has promised to you, but has asked you to wait.  Now stop and pray. Ask God to reveal His plans to you. Tell God you are willing to wait, even if it is for a long time.

STOP…WAIT…PRAY…LISTEN for God to speak to you.

Now I want you to think about your children, the children in your classroom. Have you shown them patience this week? Have you waited for them? These are little children, they are God’s gift to us. Maybe you have been teaching them rules, now teach them grace. How do we do that?

Every time they “break” one of “your” rules. Show them grace, not anger. Show them love, be patient, be kind. Is this not what God expects of us? Can we show our children the same grace, the same kindness, the same love, the same patience that God surely shows us each and every day?

Your challenge this week is to not scold, or yell, or punish. But to show grace, patience, kindness, and love.