NOW THAT I GOT HERE, WHERE AM I?

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” (Jeremiah 1:5, NIV)

The provocative question forming today’s title is taken from a play entitled, Give It Up. I think it is a question that needs to be explored and answered by each of us.

If there is a God who made us, who offers us a plan and His guidance now, as well as a promised future later, it is good to answer this question. It can be very hard to comprehend that the Creator who knew us before we were formed in our mother’s womb also has set us apart for His purpose. But He did this with the prophet Jeremiah, and He does the same for us.

So it is good for us to consider the plan God has for our life, and to reflect on where we stand in relationship to that plan.

We need to ask personally challenging questions, such as these:

- What if I really do achieve my goals?

- What difference would it make if I in fact won a USGA golf event or even just my club championship?

- Where will I be if and when I arrive at my earthly destination?

Jesus asked, “What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself?” (Matthew 16:26, The Message). That is a frightening question, because it causes us to face the futility that a life without eternal focus can produce. But here is a wonderful counterbalance: “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.” (Philippians 1:6, The Message).

God started your life. He set His plan for you in motion. And He will finish it.

A great line from the movie To Save a Life gets to the heart of the matter: “Life is not a destination. It is a transformation.” We never arrive until we get Home. We are constantly being transformed and sanctified if we know Jesus as Lord and Savior. We become transformed by the truth of the Scripture that boldly claims, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8, NIV).

Now that I’m here, where am I? The answer: I am being transformed into the image of my Creator for much greater purposes than earthly possessions or momentary fame.

A practical application comes from our Links Fellowship in Ft. Collins, Colorado. The question of the day was, “What would you want on your headstone when you are buried?” This Links Player who had been through a lot in his past and suffered greatly for many poor choices answered this way: “I would like this on my headstone: ‘He knew God loved him.’”

God knows where we are and loves us. Sometimes it takes us a lifetime to understand this truth.

--

Randy Wolff

March 10, 2010

Copyright 2010 Links Players International

The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.