“HELP US PLAN FOR YOUR FUTURE,” I am reading on the front page of the special edition of Regional Report. (Issue 23, March/April 2012, Northland Regional Council)
I am wide awake, even more so because on a special poster a child is holding up it says, “tell us what you think.”
There are three ways to have my say: I can make an online submission. I can send a email. I can fill in a submission form.
Of course I am interested in the summary of “NORTHLAND’S DRAFT LONG TERM PLAN 2012-2020.”
But I am extremely interested in the plan God has revealed to us regarding Christ.
It is a mysterious plan. It is a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure.
WHAT IS THE PLAN?
1. Everything will be brought together under the authority of Christ at the right time.
a. everything in heaven.
b. everything on earth.
2. “Furthermore, because we are united with Christ,
we have received an inheritance from God,
for he chose us in advance,…” Ephesians 1:11
“Tell us what you think.”
I can only say with the apostle Paul, “….he makes everything work out according to his plan.”
You find all this in Ephesians 1:9-11 in the NEW LIVING TRANLATION.
“Colour and I are one. I am a painter.” – Paul Klee
When I read the above quote by Paul Klee in one of our local papers, ( Northern News, March 14, 2012, page 7 ) a verse from the BIBLE came to my mind, namely where the Lord Jesus Christ says in John 10:30 “‘THE FATHER AND I ARE ONE.'” ( NLT )
In John 10:38 the Lord Jesus Christ says, “‘Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.'” Please read the whole verse in the New Living Translation. (NLT)
In John 14:9-10 the Lord asks Philip the question: “‘Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?'” (NLT)
And then we read that the Father is working through the Lord Jesus Christ. The Father lives in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ is speaking the words of the Father.
In John 17:11 the Lord is praying for the disciples to be united. (NLT)
And in John 17:20 the Lord is also praying for us (all believers) . What is he praying? (NLT)
He is praying that we will be one.
He is praying that we may be in the Father and in the Son.
Why?
That the world will believe that He was sent by the Father.
I saw just now “Kindness of Strangers” in action:
A boy on his bicycle on our main street in Kaitaia, Commerce Street.
I come from one side and a young lady is coming from the other side. Just then the boy comes off his bike and of course he has hurt himself. I am just standing there but the lady helps him up. When I ask him, “Are you alright?” he is nodding his head and straightening out the handle bar of the bike.
He seems to have grazed one of his knees. The young lady finds her small packet with paper tissues and hands him one of the tissues.
With me saying , “Kindness of strangers. I read about ‘kindness of stragners’ in the Reader’s Digests”, we are parting.
