One of my favorite verses in the Bible hangs in a frame in our living room. In Jeremiah 29:11 Jeremiah tells the exiles in Babylon, pulled from their homes in 605 B.C. and 596 B.C., that in contradiction to what the false prophets in Jerusalem were telling them concerning their "soon return" to Jerusalem, that, in reality, they would never come home. Their children would, but they wouldn’t. They should plant vineyards, buy homes, and make lives for themselves in Babylon because they were going to be there for seventy years.

Obviously, their natural response would be that God hated them and was being mean to them. But at the end of this verse, Jeremiah counters their false assertions by stating that God has good thoughts for them and not evil. The Old King James Version (OKJV) translates the last phrase "to give you an expected end." The New King James Version (NKJV) translates this Hebrew phrase "a future and a hope." This exact same Hebrew word is also used in Lamentations 1:9, translated "end" by the 1611 translators of the OKJV in Jeremiah 29:11. The NKJV translates the word "destiny" in Lamentations 1:9. All are legitimate translations and point to the same idea.

In Lamentations, Jeremiah writes at just a little later date than he did in Jeremiah 29:11. He likely is writing either right before the final fall of the Jerusalem in 586 B.C. or right after it. The real meaning of Lamentations 1:9 is hidden a little by the archaism of the OKJV in this instance. The NKJV makes the Hebrew meaning very clear to a modern reader when it translates this section, "she did not consider her destiny, therefore her collapse was awesome." Jeremiah just a few years before had told the early exiles that God had good thoughts and a good destiny for Israel if only they would learn from the first two deportations, submit to Him, and repent of their sin. But in Jeremiah 18:12 Israel declared that it was much too hard to serve God and receive His good destiny. Instead they decided to walk according to their own plans and create their own destiny.

So many people today, both Christian and non-Christian decide that they will create their own destiny outside of the will of God. Their destruction will be awesome as well. Man will choose to yield to God’s good thoughts and destiny or he will choose to follow his own path.

That leads us to the obvious question. How does one find God’s destiny? Should I change jobs? Should I change geographic locations? Should I marry him or her? Where should I go to college? Should I study for the ministry or be an engineer? Should I seek that job promotion? All are legitimate questions of life that greatly affect our destiny.

However, the specifics of God’s destiny for my life are a much greater concern to me than they are to God, for He knows that the specifics of life are found along the road of following His revealed will.

Let me list His revealed will for you, and let me assure you that as you are doing His revealed will, the specifics of His destiny become apparent.

1. Obeying unconditionally - Mark 3:35
2. Allowing God to mold you to His image - Romans 12:2

(With the specific application of the world’s image vs. God’s image in the rest of the chapter.)
3. Giving yourself unreservedly to Him - II Corinthians 8:5
4. Living a life of purity - Galatians 1:4, I Thessalonians 4:3, I Peter 4:1-4
5. Doing right no matter who will ever know - Eph. 6:6
6. Being thankful no matter what the circumstance - I Thessalonians 5:18
7. Living a life of faith - Hebrews 10:35-38
8. Giving up personal "rights" for the gospel’s sake - I Peter 2:13-15; 3:16-17, 4:19
9. Giving up fascination with evil - I John 2:15-17

II Corinthians 6:18 gives the reason for living in the Spirit’s power to obey the "will of God." That famous passage on separation reveals God’s reason for our holiness: so that He can be a Father to us. Separation and doing the will of God are never about asceticism or "no fun" in life. It is always about a relationship with our Creator. He cannot have a relationship and reveal your life’s destiny as long you are waiting for a "good offer" from God. He cannot have a relationship with you as long as you live one way at church and another way privately. He cannot have a relationship with you as long as you insist on having your "rights," your impurities, or your fascination with evil. God will never give his good destiny (Jeremiah 29:11) to people who are committed to living their lives according to their own imaginations (Jeremiah 18:12).

God has a great destiny for each one who has placed his faith in Jesus Christ. That destiny is heaven. However, that road to home can be one of either love and joy (Galatians 5:22-23) or carnality and pain. Consider God’s destiny for you and consider the consequences of Israel’s refusal to yield to His destiny for them (Romans 15:4).

Michael D. Sproul, D.Min.
Senior Pastor