Before Jesus went to the cross, in John Chapter 15, He told His disciples “No longer do I call you servants because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. But I call you friends, because I have told you everything My Father is doing.” Think about that. Jesus elevated the disciples’ position. Servants just get directions or orders on a need to know basis, but Jesus is saying that, as friends, I will let you in on secrets and I will let you know what I’m thinking.

Remember the parables? He spoke in stories to most of the people, but when the disciples pulled Him aside and asked Him what it all meant, He would speak plainly about principles in the Kingdom of God. Mark 4:11 “And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables,…” Jesus didn’t give away the secrets to just anyone…He calls all men to draw near and be disciples. If you don’t draw near and aren’t that interested, He’s not going to tell you things. The disciples got in on the good stuff. They got to know the secrets. Did you know God will tell you secrets? I believe God has told me secrets. The dictionary defines a disciple as a follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher.

If you are a disciple of Jesus, you are also His friend and He tells you things. What does that scripture mean to you? If we are God’s friends, He will tell us what He is doing. Jesus said He only did what He saw the Father doing. And Jesus is our model, so we should only do what we see the Father doing too.

The first 12 disciples hung out with Jesus all the time for 3.5 years. Do we hang out with Him all the time? Sometimes when I listen to people talk about their relationship with God and some of the things He does with them, I get jealous! It inspires me!

The bible says we have the mind of Christ if the Spirit of God lives in us. That Spirit tells us the things that God has for us. I Cor. 2. This is a part of our salvation promise, that the Spirit of God will tell us what the Father is doing, just like He did with Jesus. God has a plan, a calling, for each person on the earth. We are supposed to “discover” what that plan is. There are works that have been prepared beforehand for us, and we are to do them.  That’s in the bible. Ephesians 2:10 says “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” We are gifted and uniquely equipped to fulfill the plan He has assigned to us.

If we want to start finding the plan, we must worship Him and study His word, the bible. Every answer to every question in life is in that book. We must drink His word and feast on it. It must become our LIFE. We also need relationships and discipling from other believers to help us along the way. No one person has the entire picture; that is why we need others.

After Jesus rose from the dead, everything was given into His hands. It’s in the bible. He is the Lord of Heaven and Earth. He is Lord until the end comes and He delivers the kingdom to His Father. 1 Cor. 15:24 “Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.” There is no escaping this fact. To those who know Him, that fact is not scary. He is love. We can trust His love. Romans 5:8-9 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!”

When we find the plan and obey Him in it, there are rewards in this life and the next life. I want rewards in the next life, don’t you? The next life is the one that will be forever. Our lives here on earth are just blips on the radar, but it is where we make the important decisions about eternity. I have heard several people describe Heaven, as they say they have visited the place. It sounds absolutely fantastic! I want to go there, but even more, I want to serve Him and fulfill the plan of God for my life here on earth. I want to hear “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” when I get there! Nothing is more important in this life.

Dear Jesus, Help us to draw near to You, seeking to know You and Your plan for our lives. We can’t even love You without the Holy Spirit’s help. As we draw near to You, the bible says You will draw near to us! We believe by faith that You really do love us and want to be near us, teaching us and guiding us into the truth.