Plans for properity

Jeremiah 29:10-12 (NLT)
10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 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. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

Reverend Matthew Henry (18 October 1662 – 22 June 1714) was an English commentator on the Bible and Presbyterian minister. About chapter 29 of Jeremiah he wrote here is, I. A letter which Jeremiah wrote to the captives in Babylon, against their prophets that they had there (v. 1-3), in which letter, 1. He endeavours to reconcile them to their captivity, to be easy under it and to make the best of it (v. 4-7). 2. He cautions them not to give any credit to their false prophets, who fed them with hopes of a speedy release (v. 8, 9). 3. He assures them that God would restore them in mercy to their own land again, at the end of 70 years (v. 10–14). 4. He foretels the destruction of those who yet continued, and that they should be persecuted with one judgment after another, and sent at last into captivity (v. 15–19). 5. He prophesies the destruction of two of their false prophets that they had in Babylon, that both soothed them up in their sins and set them bad examples (v. 20–23), and this is the purport of Jeremiah’s letter.

 

 

If it falls your lot to be a street sweeper, sweep streets like Michelangelo painted pictures, sweep streets like Beethoven composed music, sweep streets like Shakespeare wrote poetry. Sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will have to pause and say: Here lived a great street sweeper who swept his job well. ~Martin Luther King, Jr.

God has a plan for everyone’s life. His desire is to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. The King James Version of The Bible says this a little different. It says, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” The Lord wants us to be able to live a peaceful life avoiding evil which disrupts life. The Lord wants us to prosper in what we might do so that we may carry out the plans He has for us – to reach others and share His message of salvation in Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul was a tentmaker, yet he was also a great missionary to all people. As Paul needed, he stopped to perform his trade in order that his needs in life would be met. When Paul was carrying on the work of The Lord his needs were often met by others who saw his dedication to The Lord.

In 2006 Success Magazine uncovered some surprising results into the insights of American. A prosperous, successful life was not so much about having wealth and money, but instead having a good relationship with family, spouse and God. The two most important elements for success were Faith and family.

Many of you have family that loves you and supports you. More importantly there is God who loves you, supports you, and has given you plans for you and your family. Let’s pray we can put those plans to good use by serving The Lord.