Friendship – Being A Good Friend – To Yourself
Blessed Destiny – Part II
Key Verse – Jeremiah 29:11 – "For I know the thoughts that I think
toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an
expected end."
Last week we introduced you to a new phrase, "Blessed Destiny."
Now Blessed means "empowered to prosper" and destiny means "a
predetermined course." Therefore, a blessed destiny is a course so great,
so wonderful, so fulfilling that just knowing it exists empowers you too much
to turn back.
This week we look at a letter addressed to the children of God in Babylon.
The one thing we want to point out about these children comes from the 1st verse
of this chapter: "Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the
prophet sent from Jerusalem unto the residue of the elders which were carried
away captives, and to the priests, and to the prophets and to all the people
whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon."
In short, God’s people were under duress and distressed. They were in a foreign
land, so they surely could not see their "blessed destiny." They
probably felt that they would die right where they were and would never get
what God had for them.
To give them encouragement, the Lord had his prophet Jeremiah dictate a
letter to them (4th – 23rd verses). Within this letter the Lord gives these
exiles specific instructions on how to live and conduct themselves while they
are in this strange land. The Lord tells them (from the NIV) to: Build, Plant,
Eat, Marry, Increase, Seek Prosperity & Pray. Now a pessimistic person
would say, "How can the Lord tell me to do all of this? I’m too
overwhelmed and I’m too burdened down." Well, what do you want Him to tell
you to do, "Give up, Quit, Don’t Try, Lose Hope, Complain, Waste away
& Die?" He can’t tell you that! Let me repeat – HE CAN’T TELL YOU
THAT!!! Let me say it again – "GOD CAN NOT TELL YOU TO GIVE UP!!" And
Here’s Why.
"God is not a man, that he should lie" (Number 23:19). What does
this mean? I’ll have to give it to you in this example. Suppose you had
$10,000,000 dollars waiting for you at the court house, and you had a limited
amount of time to pick it up (Let’s say your time on earth was the time limit.)
Now, if you asked the clerk of court, "Do I have any money here to pick
up?" He or she could say "No" for a number of reasons. First,
because he/she could be unaware of what’s in store for you. Secondly, the clerk
could know and actually be lying/jealous. Or third, the clerk could simply try
to steal what’s yours. However, God can not lie, has no reason to be jealous
and does not have to steal it, especially since He is the one giving it to you.
You must understand that He KNOWS your "blessed destiny" because He
authored it. That’s why He can’t tell you, "Give up, Quit, Don’t Try, Lose
Hope, Complain, Waste away, Die!"
Also isn’t it just like the Lord to tell you to prosper in a place you feel
you can’t or won’t. Why? Because He knows more than you or anyone else. I know
many of you may want to hear Him say, "Ohhh. It’s O.K. to throw a pity
party for yourself. It’s O.K. to give up when it gets tough. We all get the
blues sometimes, so go ahead and get that B.B. King record and just stay in
your place of sadness as long as you need to." But Ohhhh no child of the
most high God. I know that we all weep from time to time, but let’s not pour
salt into the wound. Psalms 30:5 doesn’t say "weeping endures forever;"
it says, "Weeping endures for a night but joy cometh in the morning."
Be a good friend to yourself and know that weeping is only temporary.
Now about those B.B. King ( down south we say, "B.B. Kang")
records — you might as well get rid of them. Music has a spiritual value, and
whatever goes into your spirit will affect you! (Look for this series to come).
I have nothing against music — the right kind! But for all that blues, country
and other music that tells you that you should always be in a depressed state
— GET RID OF IT!!! King Solomon puts it this way: "Like one who takes
away a garment on a cold day, or like vinegar poured on soda, is one who sings
songs to a heavy heart" (Proverbs 25:20). In other words, just as taking
away someone’s coat in the winter makes the situation worse, and just as
pouring vinegar on soda makes a mess, singing songs that emphasize sadness is
only going to magnify the problem. Do you think the Lord would tell you,
"Oh, yeah. Yo’ mama’s sick. Go ahead and buy Little Milton’s CD because
‘Hey, Hey the Blues is alright.’" The Lord can not tell you this because
He knows the TRUTH!!!
Well what is the truth? You have a blessed destiny!!! Even though you might
be a captive right now in a foreign land, you have a blessed destiny!! Even
though you want to throw a pity party, you have a blessed destiny!! This is why
the Lord stated in our text, "I know the thoughts (plans) I think towards
you." Even though you don’t know, He knows! Stop beating yourself up about
the mistakes of the past. Where you are now is not the end! What is the end?
Well, the Lord says in our text – "AN EXPECTED END!" Yes, Yes, Yes,
Yes, Yes!!! Praise the Lord!!! A predetermined end!! An end that He has
authored!! An end that He created!! The problem occurs when we refuse to get
rid of the junk in our lives to get to this end.
Now I couldn’t leave you without returning to that unclaimed $10,000,000.
Yes Honey, God’s got your money!! He’s got cattle on a thousand hill and a
prosperity movement that is Oh so real!!! Ed McMahon does not have it. The
Lottery is fooling you telling you they’ve got it, but you have to buy it for a
dollar. The enemy is lying to you telling you, "you will never see it."
But only God is truthful enough to tell you, "I know the plans I have for
you." The fact might be you’re broke right now, you’re lonely right now,
you’re sad right now, but God says, "I know the truth!!" He can not
lie about the destiny He has for you, but you can. You can either deny what’s
rightfully yours and barely get by all your life (LIE) or you can lay claim to
what God has for you (TRUTH). So stop devaluing yourself. God has done a lot to
get you here. He has performed miracle after miracle after miracle just to get
you here, and it’s not for you to fail or live a life in failure. It’s for you
to reach your expected end and your blessed destiny.
The Lord says: "I know what is and what is to be, and what is to be is
pleasing to me. I have no desire for you to stumble and struggle through life.
I have the exceeding and the abundant, and if you would trust in Me they shall
be yours. Just trust in Me and remind Me of My word and those things shall come
to pass. I desire to give you only what is the best, if you give Me your
best."
So be a good friend to yourself and know that your "through" is
not God’s end for you!! Keep yourselves encouraged with God’s promises and keep
yourself amidst His presence. Then surely you will reach your "Blessed
Destiny."