We humans have an insatiable desire to know our destiny.
Fortunately, the Bible gives us some clear answers on the subject. (And you don't have to spend $1.99 a minute on a 1-900 line to hear the truth, either.) Your destiny has not been determined by the alignment of the stars, nor is the truth about your future being printed in tomorrow's horoscope. Your destiny, and the destiny of every man, woman, and child, is explained in detail on the pages of the Bible.
The Original Plan
Our original destiny (pre-destiny) was that each of us would be a part of God's family, living in love and joy for eternity.
"Long ago, even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave Him great pleasure." (Ephesians 1:4-5)
The Problem
Tragically, this plan for humanity was interrupted by rebellion -- the first humans (Adam and Eve) rejected God's love and commands. Because of this, they (and we, their descendants) were set on the path of an alternate destiny -- a horrible one that includes death, evil and fear.
"When Adam sinned, sin entered the entire human race. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned." (Romans 5:12)
The Bible clearly teaches us that our rebellion against God (pride, lust, greed, selfishness) has destined us for death and the fearsome judgment of God. Humans were never meant to do evil or to end up as the recipients of God's anger, but our own choices have condemned us.
Restoring Our Pre-Destiny
God hates our sin, but He is willing to give us a second chance. In fact, that is why the Bible was written: to show us how we can be restored to the "original" destiny, so that we can be adopted into the family of God.
God is willing to forgive our sins on the basis of what Jesus did (Jesus died on the Cross to pay the penalty of justice for our sins).
"And what a difference between our sin and God's generous gift of forgiveness. For this one man, Adam, brought death to many through his sin. But this other man, Jesus Christ, brought forgiveness to many through God's bountiful gift...So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God's wonderful kindness rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:15,21)
Each of us was created by God for a special purpose. If we will repent (stop following evil and start following God) and put our faith in what Jesus did for us, God will bring us back into His family. This is the only way that we can truly "fulfill our destiny."
Only through a personal relationship with God can you or I fulfill the purpose of our creation and accomplish the mission of our lives.
It’s not. This is exactly the kind of design idiocy that Apple is using to keep rival smartphones and tablets off the market in its worldwide attack on Samsung. Software patent laws were bad enough.
Posted by: Fall winter 2012 | December 04, 2011 at 09:37 PM