Point of Origin

Just about any time I go somewhere on a long trip, I use my GPS.  I plug in my destination, and because the GPS is on my Android phone, it tells me how to get where I'm going.  This is a very helpful tool to a guy who once got lost twice in the same night trying to pick up his date for homecoming as a Junior in high school!  (To her credit, my date actually endured the entire evening - which included getting lost on the way to dinner, too.)


But a more important question, I believe, is not "Where am I going?" but rather "Where am I coming from?"  Check out what Gamaliel, a Pharisee, said in Acts 5:

"Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. ... For it their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.  But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men ..."

Truer words have never been spoken - whether to me, as one in the full-time ministry, or to me as a husband and father ... or to you, no matter where you're at.  Gamaliel understood some things:


1.) Plans of human origin won't endure.  I once had a Pastor (and boss) who said, "It's the call that keeps you in it (the ministry)."  What did he mean?  He meant that, it was the divine call, plan and purpose from God on my life that would keep me in the ministry - not my own plans - because it's a hard job.  In the same way, Gamaliel (after citing a few examples of this) reminded the Sanhedrin that, if the Apostles' plans were of human origin, they would inevitably fail on their own and it wasn't worth worrying about.


2.) Plans of divine origin won't fail.  As a worship leader in my youth group, I've often used a Chris Tomlin/Matt Redman song called "Our God".  The bridge of the song says, 'And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us?  And if our God is with us, then what could stand against?'  Gamaliel realized that, if the Apostles were more than just mere men trying to cause another political uprising, but rather they were truly being used of God, there was no sense in fighting it - because they "will not be able to stop these men."  It's kind of like having the ultimate ringer on your side!


So, I challenge you today: rather than spending your day looking at where you're going, look at where you're starting.  Where is your point of origin?  If it is, be encouraged - your divinely-inspired plan won't be stoppable!