| Bible
Study
God’s
Plan for Your Life
By Felicity Slemp
Jeremiah 1:5 “Before
I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were
born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet
to the nations.”
“Ah, Sovereign Lord,”
I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only
a child.”
But the Lord said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’
You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever
I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am
with you and will rescue you, “declares the
Lord.
It is not a coincidence that you
are in that exact spot at this exact moment. God has
had a plan for you to be here and do the good works
He has planned in advance for you (Eph. 2:10), whether
you are at school, at work, at home with your family,
or on the mission field. As you pray about plans for
spring break and this summer, remember that God has
a plan for you just as He did for Jeremiah. Let your
confidence in God’s plans for you overcome your
fear of the unknown, fear of finances, or fear of
another culture as you consider going to the mission
field.
The Old Testament prophet Jeremiah
didn’t think anyone would take him seriously
as God’s prophet because he was young. God,
however, thought otherwise and assured Jeremiah that
He already had a plan and He would help Jeremiah accomplish
that plan.
? How have you
seen God at work around you in the past few days?
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?
How has God worked through you to accomplish His plans
this week?
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At the beginning
of a game, a football coach doesn’t have every
play already mapped out in the order they will be
played. Instead, the coach waits to see what transpires
in the game before calling the play. He varies the
plays according to the situation. The players have
already practiced all the plays and drills so they
are ready to execute any play called at any time.
In the same way, God has “plays”
for you to execute. He wants you to prepare by working
on your testimony and practicing how to share the
Gospel message so you are ready to make the play when
you’re called on. You’re also part of
the larger team of the body of Christ, so if you can’t
complete the play, don’t hesitate to call on
a team member. The quarterback may have thrown the
ball to you, but if you’re about to be tackled
and need to pass the ball off to a team member in
order to get the ball across the goal line, then make
the play!
Are you afraid that people won’t
take you or your message seriously because you are
young? God has chosen you to be on His team and He
has important plays for you to make. In Ephesians
2:10, the Apostle Paul assures us that God has created
us in Christ Jesus to do good works that He has prepared
in advance for us to do. As you practice your “plays”
on your campus, you’ll be that much more ready
to go wherever God sends you around the world to share
His story.
? Write below
the story of (1) your life before knowing Jesus; (2)
how and why you decided to follow Jesus; and (3) how
your life is different now that you follow Jesus and
have the Holy Spirit living in you.
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In your prayers
this week, thank God for the good works He has planned
in advance for you to do. Ask Him to give you the
courage to make the most of every opportunity to share
about salvation through Jesus.
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