Divine Ability For Human Necessity Series

Proverbs 19:21 says “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.”

A "man's heart" is a little world, full of Dreaming, scheming, and planning. We are always devising. To every device of all hearts, God's "counsel," His design, exists parallel, whether in coincidence or in opposition. In other words, respecting the object of every device, God has His design. Amidst all these various devices, there is one mighty will stand. God is the supreme Ruler over this universe He created. His plan affects every detail of this creation. This plan is eternal, and there never was another plan. Thus, terms like purpose, foreknowledge, predestination, and election are logically related, and they are equally timeless.

God’s complete control over His creation is based on His omniscience and omnipotence. Since God has knowledge of all things actual and possible, His eternal plan is not based upon blind choice. Instead, God has wisely chosen a plan in which all details will finally work together to bring about the greatest good. Not only has God chosen the best possible plan; He also has the power and authority to bring it about. When God promises to do something, there is no question that it will be done.

Every manufacturer designs his product with the right components, engineered to fulfill the function that the product is created to perform. In essence, the purpose of the product dictates the potential required to fulfill the manufacturer's intent. This principle holds true for all creation, including human beings. This means that the nature, design, and qualities of human were decided by God and created by him according to what he determined was best for the sake of his purpose. Every command in the Bible is proof of the reality of human responsibility from God’s perspective.

God is the divine Potter who has “right to make from the same lump of clay one vessel for special use and another for ordinary use” according to His own purpose (Rom. 9:21). Yet this “clay” has a will and is responsible for the choices it freely makes. (Read Jeremiah. 18:1-12 to see how the prophet subtly intertwines both of these concepts.) God is a God of purpose. Everything in life has a purpose. Every human being entered into the earth realm with a God-given purpose. Purpose is the reason for the creation. In essence, it is the reason why a thing exists. The greatest evidence of what a product can do or is capable of its determined by the demands made on it by the one who made it.

All nations have a purpose that has been predetermined by God. The purpose for nations can be found in Scripture, Acts 17:24-27. It reads, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else” (Acts 17:24-25). This statement means that God created everything, and He also sustains all that He has made. The scripture continues, “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live” (Acts 17:26).

In addition to the plan of humankind inhabiting the earth, biblical record also says that God chooses the times set for men (Acts 17:26). Whenever God mentions time, it denotes work and an assignment that has a deadline. It relates to something that has a beginning and an end. One of the most important details to consider is why God set up nations and where men should live. Scripture reveals, “God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him…” (Acts 17:27) Every nation was created and employed by God to lead men to Him. He gives each one an opportunity to accomplish their assignment. However, if the job is not being done, woe to that nation! Nations do not fall without reason. Perhaps, they fall when they fail to fulfill their purpose.

When God created humanity, He had two overarching purpose in mind: relation and vacation. The first purpose is God's personal reason for creating us for relationship with Himself. The second is His executive reason for creating us for the lifework He designed us to carry out for Him on the earth. Since we were born with a God-given purpose and fulfilling that purpose must be our primary mission in life. Our fulfillment, satisfaction and peace of mind are all tied to that purpose. God created us with a purpose in mind for our life and it's our responsibility to find it. The secret to accomplishing great things is simple: Find and pursue the kind of work you are meant to do—your “purpose.” Purpose can add not only years to your life but life to your years. Prior to your birth, God installed in you all of the necessary gifts, talents and abilities you would need to fulfill his purpose for your life. Those gifts, talents and abilities help define your purpose. For E.g. a bird was created by God to fly. If it doesn’t fly then it hasn’t fulfill its purpose.