God Is Greater Than Your Past!نموونە

My wife and I prefer to vacation very differently. I like a plan and structure, while my wife likes spontaneity and freedom. Over time, we’ve made a compromise that works for both of us. I only plan 2-3 things over a week away while bringing a list of options that she can choose the day of depending on how she feels. While my desire for control certainly isn’t met, I’ve learned that this list of options is the best way for me not to end up frustrated or my wife exhausted.

Do you enjoy having a plan? Does it make you feel safe and secure if you are in control? If you answered “yes” to either of these questions, following Jesus could challenge you. It’s impossible to surrender to Jesus and feel totally in control. We cannot be “living sacrifices,” as Romans 12:1 describes, while also being in charge of our lives.

In Romans 8, Paul not only states that God is at work in our lives, but he also makes clear the second promise I’m sharing in this devotional—God has a plan.

In Romans 8:29, we read “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

This passage is often a point of contention between different theological camps. For the purpose of this plan, I seek to embody John Wesley's words: “In essentials, unity. In non-essentials, liberty. In all things, love.” So, let’s focus on what every Christian can agree on here.

Paul describes the whole reason we can have hope here. He talks about the salvation God is bringing through Jesus to save His creation from the consequences of sin and condemnation.

There’s a very clear message here. God has a plan that Paul unfolded over chapters 1-8 of Romans. In verse 29, Paul gets very clear on that plan. He says - “God foreknew those who are in Christ, God predestined those who are in Christ to be conformed to the image of Christ - so that Christ would be the firstborn of many brothers in this new humanity.” What happened to Jesus in the resurrection indicates what God will do for humanity.

That’s God’s plan. God isn’t haphazard in His transformation of those who are in Christ. God plans for those who are in Christ to become like Christ.

According to Romans 8, our ultimate good is that we would be like Jesus. God plans to do that in the life of each person who has put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for their salvation.

When things feel entirely chaotic and you feel totally out of control, the promise the Bible invites us to trust in is that God has a plan. We don’t need to be in control because God is.

Tomorrow, we will close out this plan with a promise that has given me hope countless times when I wanted to give up. If you’ve battled discouragement lately, you’ll want to keep reading.