Friday, September 24, 2010
Have you ever heard someone say that they would do something "Lord willing"? Have you ever struggled to know what God's will is for your life? Have you ever prayed and asked for God to reveal His will to you? Knowing God's will for His people is NOT a mystery that He hides from us. What God wills and expects from His people is plainly found in the pages of the Blessed Book. The Bible tells us that we can know God's will. "See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Ephesians 5:15-17
1. God's will is for all men to be saved. "For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:38-40 "Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish." Mt. 18:14 Don't be afraid of this next verse! "Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved." Eph 1:5-6 This verse says that it was according to the good pleasure of His will to predestinate us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ. You cannot be predestinated to the adoption unless you are saved. There is MUCH MORE in Ephesians 1 about His will. You should take the time to read it and ask the Holy Spirit to guide you to the TRUTHS found therein. 2. God's will is for us to submit to authority. "Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men." I Peter 2:13-15 This is not a very popular message I know, but it is in the Book. 3. God's will is for us to be thankful. "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." I Thessalonians 5:18 There are many more commandments in the context of this verse, but this one in particular says it very plainly that it is God's will for us to be thankful in every thing. People everywhere are on the hunt for happiness. They feel they deserve to live a happy life. I see and hear statements all the time like, "life is too short to be unhappy." This is true to a point, but when you seek happiness, you will always come up short and end up disappointed. Happiness is based on your current circumstances. True peace and joy come from a thankful heart. We in America take for granted the basic necessities of life. Seriously, when was the last time you thanked God for water? Sound stupid? There are places, even in this country, where there is no clean water to drink. Don't even think about all you have to physically be thankful for. Just take a moment to think of your spiritual blessings from the Lord. Have you ever just sat and thought about where you would be were it not for grace? We have SO MUCH to be thankful for! 4. God's will is to deliver us from this present evil world. "Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:" Galatians 13-4 Jesus Christ did NOT die on the Cross of Calvary to pay my sin debt so that I could live in the same condition I was when He found me! I know these days there is so much talk of liberty in Christ. We do have liberty in Christ, but it is HIS will that we be delivered from the evil of this world. It is HIS will that we not be enslaved to the sin that had us bound when we were lost and without hope. "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2 By doing the will of God we can hold fast to this promise from the Lord. "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world, passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever." I John 2:16:17
Image Source