THE Plan

I am sorry about the post being a little long but I felt it was necessary. I also need to say beforehand that this post was influenced by a recent discussion I had with some friends(including the other authors of this blog) as well as a message given by Seth Evans and Tim Lin, which you can find on the Oasis Christian Community web site.

With the Winter Olympics now over it is inevitable that nearly everyone will stop paying any attention to the sports or people involved for another four years. However, when they come around in four years again almost everyone will be excited about them once again. I found myself asking the question, "Why." Why does everyone care so much about the sports and people involved for 20 days when they completely disregard them for the four years leading up to them. It is obviously not a matter of the athletes competing because most people do not follow the careers of any of them. It also cannot be about the sports because no one pays attention to them either in the four years in between the Games. This left me with the conclusion that people must really enjoy what these athletes are representing; their country, which is something a lot greater than themselves as an individual. This has to be at least part of the reason that people enjoy the watching the Olympics so much. It allows the individual watching to elevate himself/herself to a much higher level because they are now part of something that is much larger or greater than anything they could ever attain on their own. They can find a greater sense of happiness and worth for their lives just by being part of something greater than themselves.

What if I told you that there was something out there so much greater than the Olympics that it would not even be worth the comparison. Something out there greater than anything you have seen or heard about and that YOU can be a part of it. How can you be a part of it? 2 Timothy 1:9-10 has the answer:

“He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began, but now made manifest through the appearance of our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel…”

As you can see God had his own design, his own plan, BEFORE time began. This design of his was in place before any human being ever existed. Do you want to be a part of something bigger than yourself? Then look no further. It does not get any bigger than this. It says in the verse that this plan had nothing to do with us and “our works” but everything to do with God and His grace. This isn’t about you and what you have done, it is about God and what He has done. The only thing that you have to do is become a part of this great plan and this verse tells you how. It says that Jesus Christ has revealed this plan to all of us. So look to Jesus Christ, believe in him, and become a part of something greater than anything else you will ever experience. Right now I encourage you to look to Christ for the fulfillment in life that you cannot receive anywhere else. If you are a Christian and reading this I encourage you to keep this in your mind. Think about how excited you get about the Olympics, or if not that whatever else in your life that provides you with the satisfaction of being a part of something greater than yourself. Now think back to being a part of God’s plan that has been in place before you existed. Are you more excited about that? You should be.