Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! (Romans 11:33)
To be sure, we are saved to community. We are enlisted to be members of the body of Christ; we are empowered to build up the body; and we are to remain engaged with the body. But we must ever remember that we are saved individually, and it is only as we walk our walk and live our faith individually that we will find God’s perfect plan for our lives.
The Almighty ad hominem (ad hominem is a Latin phrase meaning to the man) means that we do not find our place in God’s plan and purpose for our lives by following someone else’s “secret formula” to being a successful saint. The true disciple of Jesus is content to let someone else’s formula remain a mystery as he sits at the feet of His Master, because he understands that His Master knows exactly what every one of His disciples needs.
God’s plan for your life is not the same plan He has for anyone else in this world, because you are not the same person as anyone else in this world. You have your own unique personality, life experiences, gifts, talents, and abilities, and God will guide you into His perfect plan and purpose for your imperfect life, not into what someone else might have planned for you. Remember, if you are not following God’s plan for your life, you will be following someone else’s plan, and those man-made plans frequently do not align with what God has planned for you . . . which means they are inferior plans!
The key to understanding God’s plan for your life is to spend time with Him. Immerse yourself in His Word. Spend time on your knees in prayer. Engage in corporate worship with your family of faith. Give your time, talent, and treasure to expand the cause of His kingdom. The more you engage personally with your God, the more personally He will engage with you.
Remember, our God is the God of individuals; He meets people like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Ruth, and Esther individually—He comes to the man and not just to the group—and He will meet with you too, because He is The Almighty Ad Hominem!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 