Bloom Where You Are Planted

It was no mistake that God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and boundaries of their habitation.” It is no mistake that God planted us all over the globe, in every city, town, and outpost, so that “they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each of us.” God can even use the best and worst of times to get us to where we need to be for Him to use us in accordance with His will.   

In Jeremiah 29, God reminded the nation of Israel that He had sent them into exile in Babylon.  It was all God’s plan and timing.  What does that mean for us on a practical level and what can we learn from God’s instructions to His people?

Simply put:

• “Build homes and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce…multiply there and do not decrease.”  There are other commands in Scripture urging us to fill the earth, have dominion, and to go into all the earth.  Though this is not our eternal home, the Kingdom of God is here and we are to bloom where we are planted and be present in the here and now.  How can  the schools we lead be present, visible, engaged, multiplying, and increasing our influence in the communities God has us?
• “Seek the welfare of the city…and pray to the Lord on its behalf.” Our goal is to impact our families, churches, schools, and communities for good.  We impact our communities and beyond when our mission remains Christ-centered and gospel-centered, and we produce young men and women who will make this world a better place.  To achieve this goal, we must be sure that Christ is at the center of all that we do, assuring that our academics, activities, communication, and presence in the community bears fruit for the Kingdom. 
• God warns His people about not being taken captive by false ideas. Fast forward to John 17:15 and we hear the Lord praying the same thing for His people, when He said, “I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one.” I fear the tendency, at least recently, is to look like the world in efforts to reach the world. The problem with that is we have nothing true, pure, and good with what to offer the world other than a watered down version of the truth. While we are present in the community and wanting its welfare, we must be vigilant to not buy into the lies of the enemy and lose our ability to have an  impact for Christ.  

In all of this, we must remember that success comes when we “seek and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”  If we truly are what we love, then we must seek after the Lord with everything that is in us.  Only then will we have the impact we desire to have in the lives of our students, families, churches, and communities where God has planted us. 

Praying you have a restful summer, full of times of refreshment and reflection that strengthens you in Christ as you prepare to lead and serve Him next school year!