All Things According To His Purpose

Perhaps you have never wondered, but just in case you have, my experience this week at the Southern Baptist Convention in New Orleans is that God truly does cause all things to work together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). At different times different parts of scripture stand out. What speaks loudly to me from this verse today is that God does call people according to His purpose. His purpose really is all that matters. Pastors always fall prey to the purposes of people, most of them people who are seeking the Lord. Occasionally, however, individuals rise up who have some other purpose. Satan wants us to spend our time trying to decipher those purposes because doing so would distract us from the purpose of the call. We can go literally crazy trying to work through the purposes of those who mask themselves under knightly disguise claiming to fight for "the common good" - often using the "several people" motif to decorate their speeches. How did the powerful preachers who spoke at the SBC Pastor's Conference know what My bride and I needed to hear to provide clarity in the midst of confusion (of which God is not the author)? How did they know? Because the Holy Spirit in them and the Holy Spirit in us is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The Comforter who came after the ascension of our Lord is still active today - even in the life of a small town boy in New Orleans, Louisiana. This small town boy, back in the city of his call, is overwhelmed by the thought of God in my direction and in the direction of my family. I am thankful for Southern Baptist pastors who have the courage to speak candidly, personally, passionately, and boldly on the importance of our staying true to our calling, because only then do we remain an active part of the eternal plan of God.