This post, Illusion of Destiny, was written and submitted by a guest author. Please enjoy it
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Introduction to Illusion of destiny
For generations, people have spoken about destiny as though each life were pre-written, fixed, and unchangeable. This belief has comforted some and caged many more. But scripture shows that the idea of a “definite destiny” is more illusion than truth. What God truly offers is not a narrow path but the vastness of His purpose: and within that purpose, each person’s scope is defined not by divine restriction but by vision, willingness, and response
When God spoke to Abraham, He said: “For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever” (Gen 13:15). The limit was not in God’s promise, but in Abraham’s sight. Moses saw the promised land but did not enter (Deut 34:4), not because God scripted him out, but because he failed in obedience (Num 20:12).
John the Baptist could have risen higher, but he stopped at the point where his own conviction rested. Jesus said of him: “He that is least in the kingdom is greater than he” (Mat 11:11). Their “destinies” were not cut short by heaven; their scope ended where their own sight, obedience, and readiness ended
This is why Jesus’ parable of the talents is so important: “And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability” (Mat 25:15). Each man’s outcome was determined not by a pre-written destiny, but by how he traded with what he was given. Grace opened the opportunity; their choices defined the result
The scope of a person’s dream determines the measure of responsibility divinity will place upon him, along with its complementary reward. This scope also shapes the degree of sweetness or bitterness in the administration of grace upon his life. For a preacher, the scope is revealed in the content of his preaching: does it embrace every sphere of life, and to which audience is it directed?
My personal experience
For me, I see myself speaking simultaneously to three audiences: my local congregation, the surrounding community that hears my voice, and a global audience through the media. With this awareness, I deliberately shape my preaching to blend with general life issues in such a way that every hearer, in one way or another, finds themselves addressed. My scope is not imposed by a fixed destiny: it is the result of how far I choose to go with the grace and opportunities God has entrusted to me
This is the real difference: destiny is an illusion, but purpose is real. Destiny suggests a cage; purpose offers a field. Grace gives man the ability to respond to divine opportunities, but the scope of that response is left to man’s vision, his willingness to pay the price, and his readiness to embody what he has seen. As God said through Jeremiah: “Call unto me, and I will answer, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jer 33:3). That is not fate: it is invitation
The truth is simple: as far as you can see, God is willing to give. The mind may shape, but grace enlarges. And no man is caged by a pre-written destiny, except the one he writes for himself by limiting his sight
Written and submitted by Eugene.
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