The Story God has Written on Us – Episode #617

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The Story God has Written on Us
Episode #617
9-30-2018

With Martha Kilpatrick and hosted by John Enslow

This is the continuation of a series of Podcasts started in Episode #615.
We can choose a destiny far less glorious than the one God offers. The story He’s written is one we receive—or walk away from, like the Rich Young Ruler.

Martha:
Nah, he’s not going to read the story of the little four year old, I don’t think, because he’s told it before. It’s in his story but to me that illustrates the absolute sovereignty of God. There was no reason for you to know there was a God available. There was no, nothing. There was no setup that that was logical in any way whatsoever. And I want every life to be able to see God as God in all these areas. And many…you talk about some that you resisted and you hated and you were very transparent in it which, that’s what helps us know what God can do with you even when you’re just, your, even when you’re bitter and reject what He’s doing and disappointed in Him. It doesn’t matter. God’s not offended. He’s just not offended. He has mercy.

John:
And He did and, you know, like I said, it, this isn’t a, ah, all-inclusive, complete, you know, testimony. It’s really a, it’s a cross section. I didn’t, I went a little bit into the, you know, when I was four years old going to the church and hearing the message. I went a little bit into that but I didn’t go into it fully. And there’s a whole bunch I just, I didn’t include because this, there’s a through line for what the Lord wanted to say and I followed that through line and picked up just the aspects of my life, you know. Good grief, living in a van, you know, and all that other stuff, how I met God coming into the van, and you know. I didn’t go into a lot of that. It’s written elsewhere. But this, this, there’s a purpose. There’s a purpose just totally beyond just sharing what God did in my life. There’s a purpose of His sovereign touch and why He does what He does and the ways of God. And so…

Martha:
I’m thinking of the potter’s wheel in the Bible, which is several times there. We are, we are like clay in His hand and He is molding something that we can’t see. We have no idea how marvelous His plan is for us. And when you look back on it and see it, it’s full of wonder even if you stumble along over the cornerstone and the cornerstone fell on you. It’s all redeemed by Him and brought into His amazing… You become what you’re not. You become a writer, which you were not. I became a writer because He called me to it. I was not, didn’t want to be. So we don’t know. We don’t know who we are in our new creation. But looking back and seeing God over your whole life is a fantastic, beautiful experience. So if you can find something to read to us.

John:
Well, I mean, even the thing about the whole shepherding end of— I really didn’t put that in this. It’s not even in there.

Martha:
There are many years that you’ve not covered at all.

John:
So…

Martha:
I want to read another portion of this when you’re finished.

John:
Here’s a little excerpt from it. It says, “God’s so incredibly trustworthy with our hearts. He’s about the working of things together with such skill and intricacy and the sign of hunger is not the evidence of error. My Creator was working into my heart an increased spiritual capacity to experience Him. He was stretching my ability to experience and this had to be done through hunger pains and His resistance to my demands. You don’t demand to move into a house when only the foundation is set. No, you wait until the builder builds the dwelling and sets things in order.”

Martha:
That understanding would apply to anyone, everyone. And I just wanted to end with this amazing seeing of what God means in His word. It’s from Altogether Forgiven, “A Story All Written:”

“Your every day was designed and recorded by God Himself before there was any human life. Imagine! There is a book written of your life before you lived it. We need only to be glad bondslaves of His will and those sacred days He created long ago will simply appear. You don’t want to lose your significant days that end up as months and years.”

Ok, the rest of it is:

“God is God and the only One. But He gives you the ultimate decision to follow or not. Jesus called the Rich Young Ruler to follow, to go with Him into his own hallowed story. ‘One thing you lack: go and sell all your possess and give to the poor, and you have treasure in heaven: and come, follow Me. But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property’ (Mark 10:21-22 NASB). The Rich Young Ruler chose his treasure at the expense of his glorious destiny. This story is told in three of the gospels. Such is its importance! Some like to imagine the man came back. It’s very possible but that is not in the story. We must leave it as it is written and not take false comfort from a lie. Jesus’ love for him was undiminished, but His love is the only existing love that gives absolute liberty. Such is His divine dignity that Jesus stands ever waiting, but never groveling, for volunteers to choose their own destiny.”

And that’s what you’ve done, John. You’ve chosen your life as it is and you’ve chosen your destiny with all it’s difficult moments as the sovereign formation of God. And I’m just extremely proud of you for how you’ve lived in accountability and transparency and what your love for Christ has grown into in you. So congratulations on your new book (chuckles)!

The Story God has Written on Us – Episode #617 – Shulamite Podcast

The story of the Rich Young Ruler shows that the story God has written on our lives can be rejected by us. We can choose a destiny far less glorious than the one God offers. The story God has written is one that we receive from Him—or walk away from in sadness.