A thought by Michael Todd, from his book, Relationship Goals (p. 19). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon to buy the book.)
He really was.
Michael continues, "Let me prove it.
"Once, God told the prophet Jeremiah, 'Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.' (Jeremiah 1:5)"
"In other words, Jeremiah had a God-given mission before he even took his first breath. But before you dismiss that as a special case, let me tell you that it’s not just prophets or other unusual people who have a place in God’s plan. We all have God-given, inborn purposes."
"... We all have a variety of purposes in life that I truly believe we’re supposed to fulfill. These aren’t just things we dream up. They’re dreams that God has planted in us. And my purposes added to your purposes, added to the purposes of millions of others, combine to produce the kingdom that God is building. Within that perspective, what seems small (my little dreams and aspirations or yours) is really big."
He goes on, "So, we should look at this purpose thing in a context—the context of what God is doing. What is God’s purpose in relationships? What guidelines has He been teaching about relationships that we need to follow so that we’re doing this His way?
"Our encouragement is this: It’s not all on us. God instructs us, guides us, and teaches us how to aim at the right relationship goals."
Psalm 32:8, (NKJV) says, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye."
Michael then says, "The more we seek Him, the more we’ll find out what He wants for us and the more we’ll desire to pursue it. God will help us find the right target for our relational arrows. And it will be better than we could find anywhere else.
"Culture’s views on relationship are a moving target. Culture says marriage looks like this in one decade, then like that in another decade. The term dating used to imply physically going out somewhere. But now we have 'Netflix and chill,' and you don’t have to be committed to anybody to cross the line into private areas.
"God wants every single one of us to have successful relationships, but we have to have a goal that is stable enough for us to aim at. So, let me point out to you that the only thing that is unchangeable, unwavering, and immovable is the Word of God. Isaiah 40:8 tells us, 'The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.' So, I dare you—no, I double-dog dare you—to let the standard of your relationships be God’s Word... Let’s just see what would happen in our hearts, minds, and lives if we would follow the stable, biblical model of relationships instead of following our own feelings or other people’s examples."
And that is a great place to go, isn't it? Yes, yes! #continuethought
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