"What is God's will for me?"
How many times have you found yourself asking this question? So commonly asked, and yet to find the answer is often so agonizing and difficult. Do you find yourself often walking in uncertainty, wondering whether you have chosen God's will or whether you have willingly- or unwillingly- gone astray?
Interestingly, the Bible has many things to say about God's will, and the first is this- much as we may think and feel otherwise, there is nothing that we can do to change His will, and His will will be done. We have choices in life, but guess what? God already knows what choice we are going to make. This may sound surprising, and disturbing to some, but our God is omnipotent and omniscient, and ultimately He alone has the power to shape the flow of events, the course of history, our lives, and His will will be done. "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Prov 19:21. "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." Job 42:1. The word for this is God's sovereignty. He will always have the final say. Nothing happens that He does not know about; nothing happens that He does not allow or intend to happen.
So if we are worried that we are walking outside of God's will, then we can breathe a sigh of relief, because we can rest assured that whatever happens is always part of God's will, and things will not happen unless He allows them to happen. But then this again is disturbing. What about if your life is in shambles? What if you have been walking astray for a long long while? What if you feel like you are lost in the dark, wandering alone? What if you feel totally cut off from God? Can it possibly be God's will?
But we must never forget that God's sovereignty does not mean that we have no free will, as some people think. We are not robots pre-programmed to carried out a set of instructions; we are living, thinking, feeling human beings in the image of God who have been endowed with the ability and power to choose. When you face the choice of whether to eat a hamburger or a cheeseburger, no matter how you may argue that God knows what choice you are going to make, at the end you still make the choice. Whatever decision you make in life, whatever choice you face, even though God knows the outcome, you still have the choice, and you make it with whatever thought and wisdom and consideration that you put in. God knew that Eve would eat the forbidden fruit, yet He still gave her the choice, and she made her own choice.
Bearing this in mind, how do we make sense of all of this? "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2. You have the power to choose- between God, and the world. And when with your renewed mind and heart you choose God, then you will prove that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Is this will different from the will we talked about earlier? No, we have already seen that you cannot choose anything out of God's will, but everything that happens is part of His will. And yet here we see that when we willingly renew our minds and choose Him, then we will prove a good and perfect and acceptable will- that we will know and experience Him and His love deeply, and in turn shine His love and light to others in this world. His will for us, when we choose Him.
This is where the understanding of the frail human mind ends and the unsearchable mysteries of God's wisdom and power starts. How divine sovereignty and human free choice can coexist as such will always be a mystery to us. But from all this we can gather a few practical points for our lives. First, that God's will will always be done. Second, that God has given us the power of free will and choice. Third, that He calls us to make these choices with our minds renewed, away from the pattern of this world. He calls us to make careful, thoughtful, deliberate, determined choices that honour Him. Fourth, when we make these choices, we will discover His good and acceptable and perfect will. How sweet these three words- good, acceptable, perfect- sound to my weary ears! "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work." 2 Tim 2: 20-21
One last question to be answered- how do we then renew our minds? This is such a broad topic, but just a few simple starters I have to share. The bad stuff has to go out, and the good stuff must go in. Out must go all things evil and sinful- thoughts, emotions, intentions, and so forth. And foremost to go in must be the Word of God. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Tim 3:16. I am constantly amazed at the amount of wisdom that simple book that sits on my table holds. Next, fill your mind with good Christian counsel, whether it be from people, books, and so forth. And filling is not enough, but we must think and meditate on these things, to internalize them and make them part of us. A heartfelt conviction instead of just head knowledge. And finally, they must be put into practice, with all our hearts. "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. " Phil 4:8-9
Every choice that we face in life, big or small, requires some thought. How much thought do we put into our choices? And how determined are we to make our choices with a renewed mind and honour God with them? That will very much determine how much of that "good and acceptable and perfect will" we experience. That will very much determine how much we will know Him and shine for Him.
"And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15
How many times have you found yourself asking this question? So commonly asked, and yet to find the answer is often so agonizing and difficult. Do you find yourself often walking in uncertainty, wondering whether you have chosen God's will or whether you have willingly- or unwillingly- gone astray?
Interestingly, the Bible has many things to say about God's will, and the first is this- much as we may think and feel otherwise, there is nothing that we can do to change His will, and His will will be done. We have choices in life, but guess what? God already knows what choice we are going to make. This may sound surprising, and disturbing to some, but our God is omnipotent and omniscient, and ultimately He alone has the power to shape the flow of events, the course of history, our lives, and His will will be done. "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails." Prov 19:21. "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." Job 42:1. The word for this is God's sovereignty. He will always have the final say. Nothing happens that He does not know about; nothing happens that He does not allow or intend to happen.
So if we are worried that we are walking outside of God's will, then we can breathe a sigh of relief, because we can rest assured that whatever happens is always part of God's will, and things will not happen unless He allows them to happen. But then this again is disturbing. What about if your life is in shambles? What if you have been walking astray for a long long while? What if you feel like you are lost in the dark, wandering alone? What if you feel totally cut off from God? Can it possibly be God's will?
But we must never forget that God's sovereignty does not mean that we have no free will, as some people think. We are not robots pre-programmed to carried out a set of instructions; we are living, thinking, feeling human beings in the image of God who have been endowed with the ability and power to choose. When you face the choice of whether to eat a hamburger or a cheeseburger, no matter how you may argue that God knows what choice you are going to make, at the end you still make the choice. Whatever decision you make in life, whatever choice you face, even though God knows the outcome, you still have the choice, and you make it with whatever thought and wisdom and consideration that you put in. God knew that Eve would eat the forbidden fruit, yet He still gave her the choice, and she made her own choice.
Bearing this in mind, how do we make sense of all of this? "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." Romans 12:2. You have the power to choose- between God, and the world. And when with your renewed mind and heart you choose God, then you will prove that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Is this will different from the will we talked about earlier? No, we have already seen that you cannot choose anything out of God's will, but everything that happens is part of His will. And yet here we see that when we willingly renew our minds and choose Him, then we will prove a good and perfect and acceptable will- that we will know and experience Him and His love deeply, and in turn shine His love and light to others in this world. His will for us, when we choose Him.
This is where the understanding of the frail human mind ends and the unsearchable mysteries of God's wisdom and power starts. How divine sovereignty and human free choice can coexist as such will always be a mystery to us. But from all this we can gather a few practical points for our lives. First, that God's will will always be done. Second, that God has given us the power of free will and choice. Third, that He calls us to make these choices with our minds renewed, away from the pattern of this world. He calls us to make careful, thoughtful, deliberate, determined choices that honour Him. Fourth, when we make these choices, we will discover His good and acceptable and perfect will. How sweet these three words- good, acceptable, perfect- sound to my weary ears! "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work." 2 Tim 2: 20-21
One last question to be answered- how do we then renew our minds? This is such a broad topic, but just a few simple starters I have to share. The bad stuff has to go out, and the good stuff must go in. Out must go all things evil and sinful- thoughts, emotions, intentions, and so forth. And foremost to go in must be the Word of God. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2 Tim 3:16. I am constantly amazed at the amount of wisdom that simple book that sits on my table holds. Next, fill your mind with good Christian counsel, whether it be from people, books, and so forth. And filling is not enough, but we must think and meditate on these things, to internalize them and make them part of us. A heartfelt conviction instead of just head knowledge. And finally, they must be put into practice, with all our hearts. "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. " Phil 4:8-9
Every choice that we face in life, big or small, requires some thought. How much thought do we put into our choices? And how determined are we to make our choices with a renewed mind and honour God with them? That will very much determine how much of that "good and acceptable and perfect will" we experience. That will very much determine how much we will know Him and shine for Him.
"And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15
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