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.
Without a purpose, life is an experiment or a chaotic journey that results in frustration, disappointment and failure. In absence of purpose, time has no meaning; energy has no reason and when we don't know our reason for existence, we are just wandering, wasting valuable time. Without purpose, we can only exist. Thus to know our purpose is to know our significance, to know our significance is to know our direction, to know our direction is to know our Destiny. Purpose is the end for which the means exist. So we must realize that our fulfillment in this life is dependent on our becoming and doing what we were born to be and do. If you want to know your God-given purpose, you must know and be in bond with your maker, (Genesis 1:27 and Genesis 2:7). When the Lord God created us, He gave each of us an instruction manual. It is called the Bible - the Written Word of God. It Says In Proverbs 19:21 “You can make many plans, but the LORD's purpose will prevail.” Therefore God’s purpose is more important than our plans and His purpose will precede our plan. Therefore we should seek to have our plans in principle compatible with God's counsel.
The original purpose for mankind, defined and established by God in Genesis 1, was to "rule (have dominion) over all the earth." Since the word "dominion" in this case means to reign and rule, the Creator wired all humans with the capacity and natural ability to lead. God created people to reflect His image, to rule over creation, and to reproduce godly offspring. We can conclude that human beings are wired for leadership. There is no finer example for leadership than Lord Jesus Christ. He declared, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). It is within this verse that we see the perfect description of a great leader. He is one who acts as a shepherd to those “sheep” in his care. Good leadership is always obvious by honorable character and selfless service to the society.
Jesus had confidence in His God-given purpose. We read about this in the gospel of Luke 4:18- 21 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. And He began to say to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."Jesus was never off purpose; He always knew what He was doing because He always knew why He was doing it. So he said “I am the good shepherd…”
The shepherd is one who has several roles in regard to his sheep. He cares, leads, feeds, nurtures, comforts, corrects and protects. The shepherd of the Lord’s flock leads by modeling godliness and righteousness in his own life and encouraging others to follow his example. Hence, our ultimate example—and the One we should follow—is Christ Himself. This is why Apostle Paul said “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). A good leader guides, corrects and disciplines those in his care when they go astray. Without resentment or an overbearing spirit, but with a “spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:2)
The leaders we remember most, in history or our own past, are the ones, who have inspired or empowered us. The word inspire comes from the Latin, meaning “to breathe life into.” Accordingly when you are working toward things that inspire you, it literally makes you feel more alive. The reason these leaders are memorable is because they have a sense of their own purpose. Our purpose is the foundation of our leadership and life. It gives us the stability to stand, because when the tough times come (and they do) and the ground underneath begin to shake (and it will) it is our sense of purpose that keeps us firm. Keep in mind, your existence is evidence that this generation, of which you are a part, needs something that your life contains.
Leadership is a ministry, not mere management. It is a position of humble, loving, caring service. Those whom God designates as leaders are called not to be governing monarchs, but humble servants; not professional celebrities, but laboring servants. Those who would lead God's people must above all exemplify sacrifice, devotion, submission, and lowliness. Jesus Himself gave us the pattern when He stooped to wash His disciples' feet, a task that was customarily done by the lowest of slaves (John 13). If the Lord of the universe would do that, no leader has a right to think of himself as a VIP.”At the most basic level, a leader is someone who leads others by example.
Good leaders develop through a never ending process of self-study, education, training, and experience. Our quality of life depends on the quality of our leaders. And since no one else seems to be volunteering, it’s up to each one of us. If you’ve ever had dreams of leadership, now is the time. God needs you. Now you must proceed to unearth the leader hidden within you.
What is leadership? At the most basic level, a leader is someone who leads other. It is a process by which one person influences the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors of others. Leaders set a direction for the rest of us; they help us see what lies ahead; they help us visualize what we might achieve; they encourage us and inspire us. Without leadership a group of human beings quickly degenerates into argument and conflict, because we see things in different ways and lean toward different solutions. Leadership helps to point us in the same direction and harness our efforts jointly. Leadership is the ability to get other people to do something significant that they might not otherwise do. It’s energizing people toward a goal. Leadership is the act of influencing/serving others out of Christ’s interests in their lives so they accomplish God’s purposes for and through them. Influence comes from serving by modeling, instructing, exhorting, evaluating, confronting, training, and releasing, Influence does not come by overpowering, belittling, manipulating, threatening, avoiding, competing and controlling
The Bible is the first place we should look to in order to learn how to become leaders today, preparing for the world tomorrow. The biblical record reveals God’s demand for quality leaders during times of human crisis. His search for effective leadership is expressed in statements such as: “The Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him leader of his people... ”(I Samuel 13:14). This scripture reveals that whenever a nation has a lack of quality, legitimate and just leaders, national deterioration occurs. It also reveals that God’s remedy to this type of situation is the discovery and rising up of new leaders committed to justice and righteousness.
From page 1 of the Bible, we are put on notice that God holds us accountable for the moral choices and actions we make. This is why the wise teacher wrote, “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14) “God is absolutely sovereign, but his sovereignty never functions in such a way that human responsibility is minimized or mitigated” (see: Ephesians 1:11, Acts 17:26, Matthew 6:26, Proverbs 21:1, Jeremiah 10:23).
God will never do anything contrary His character and purpose. He will not deceive, being of infinite goodness; He cannot be deceived by any, being of infinite wisdom. There is no room for second thoughts or after-counsels. Scripture teaches that “God is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he” (Deut. 32:4). “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). God also “works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:11). God holds all people accountable for their deeds (Rom. 2:4-9; Rev. 20:15-20). Scripture consistently appeals to humans in a way that recognizes their moral responsibility for the choices they make (Joshua. 24:15; I Kings 18:21; Romans 1:21-28; Jn. 11:26; Acts 7:51; 17:30).
God is able to do anything He desires. “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2). “He does whatever he pleases in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all the ocean depths” (Ps. 135:6). The Lord carries out everything exactly as planned. “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a human being, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not establish it?” (Num. 23:19). All that God has preplanned is as good as done. Nothing can change it, for there is no authority above God. As He says through Isaiah, “To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?" (40:25). God directs the history of the universe along the course of His foreordained plan. This involves His ability to choose individuals and groups for special purposes in the outworking of this plan. For instance, Jeremiah and Paul were chosen by God to have special missions even before they were formed in their mother’s wombs (Jer. 1:5; Gal. 1:15).Because of His complete uniqueness and sovereignty, God is able to declare, “Truly I am God, I have no peer; I am God, and there is none like me, who announces the end from the beginning and reveals beforehand what has not yet occurred, who says, 'My plan will be realized; I will accomplish what I desire ….'’’ (Isa. 46:9-10; see also Isa. 14:24; 43:13).
