Living Life in a Fish Bowl

In life we go through times where we think,

"Oh I wasn't good enough to do this."

"If only I had more money then I would be accepted by them."

"My name never gets called, I just have really bad luck."

Don't we all, at some point, 

find ourselves thinking that we are just the luck of the draw?

Even in our walk with Christ, 

we look around and see people stepping into their 

purpose and destiny.

Yet,

we are sitting.....

waiting.....

wondering,

"God, when will it be my turn?

When will you draw my name out of the 

big fish bowl in Heaven and let me step 

into what you have for me?"

Well....

for 1-

God does not have a big fish bowl in Heaven...

randomly drawing out who will be the next great

megaphone to declare the Good News all over the world.

That doesn't sound like a very loving God to me.

And 2-

Romans 8:29 says,

"For God knew His people in advance,

and He chose them to become like His Son."

verse 30 goes on to say,

"and having chosen them, he called them,

he called them to come to him.

And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself.

And having given them right standing,

he gave them his glory." (NLT)

There is so much we could unfold from those two verses alone.

But what I want to focus on right now is in verse 29

it says,

"For God knew His people in advance."

I have read some translations that say 

"He predestined."

He predestined us;

you and I,

to be like Jesus.

Before the foundation of the world,

Before He separated light from the darkness,

Before He created night and day,

Before He created the land and seas,

the grass and the trees,

Before He made the sun and the moon and the stars,

Before He created living creatures to inhabit the Earth,

Before He created Adam.....

He knew us and predestined us to be like Jesus!!!

Jeremiah 1:5 says,

"I knew you before I formed you in your 

mother's womb."

How amazing is that?!

I remember when I had each one of my children,

I would just sit and stare at them endlessly.

There was something about knowing they had been

in such a pure, living, breathing, 

unhindered and untainted by this world

relationship with God just days or months before

they were born.

They were with Him face to face!!

They heard Him laugh!!

They heard His declarations and promises 

for their lives before they were even revealed to me!!!

God didn't do this with just my children.

This happened to each and every one of you.

He knew you!!!

He predestined you to be like His Son!!!

How do we be like Jesus?!

-We totally and completely rely on God

and allow the Holy Spirit to guide us every single day.

The Bible says Jesus only did what He saw the Father do.

He would only say what He heard Him speak.

That is being completely reliant on our Father.

-We must love.

There is all kind of mess going on in the world 

right now.

Terrorist acts, political agendas and the election year,

things that we may not agree with and that are super

confusing being forced upon us.

But in the midst of all of the chaos and hate,

we are called to love!

Mark 12:30-31 says,

"And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart,

all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.

The second is equally important;

'Love your neighbor as yourself.''

We are not called to conform--not at all.

But we are called to love.

Know that God did not create you randomly

or without thought and care.

Know He didn't pick you randomly out of a bowl of others.

He was so intentional in creating you,

in placing the perfect purpose for your life within you.

He is a God of such detail when it comes to 

His sons and daughters. 

He knew you and predestined you to be like His Son

before this world was ever formed!!!

So step out of your fish bowl

and go show the world Jesus!!!

-Amen!!