Where I want to do this, His will is greater...

This morning, I was praying through parts of Colossians 1, where in verse 9 it says, "...that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and understanding." 

The NLT put it this way: "...We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will...."

My response to that verse was, "Lord, how can I have complete knowledge of Your will? How can I really know what it is? It seems impossible!"
But then the realization hit: God has a will in every single circumstance in our lives! Not just the big decisions that require planning. Yes, the little ones He cares about too. In every circumstance, it is my natural desires, vs. God's will. 

Here's what I mean: 

Where I want to only do what is fun, He wants me to find joy in the hard circumstances.

Where I want to spend my money on me and buy more things, He wants me to be content with such things as I have.

Where I want to just be quiet and let everyone around me do their thing, God wants to use me to shake life up a bit, to tell the gospel to the lost, to present stunning truths to the saved.

Where I just want to be comfortable in my comfort zone, God wants me to step out and do the unthinkably exciting things!

Where I want to be popular, God wants me to do hard things and to be different.

Where I want to react in anger, He wants me to respond in love.

Where I want to be lazy, God wants me to serve others.

Where I want to feed my flesh, God wants me to feed my spirit. 

Where I want life to be easy, God wants me to soar even in the hardest circumstances.

Where I want to prove that I am somebody, God wants to prove through me that Christ is the Savior of the world!

Where I want to have people's good opinion, God wants me to be content with who He has made me to be, even when the world is hostile toward me because of it. 

Where I want to love only those who love me, God wants me to love those who don't deserve it.

...Listen, people! God wants us to know what He wants us to do in every circumstance, how He wants us to respond, so we can be ready to do what is right! 

I'm not saying that God will be mad at us when we make a mistake. It's not that at all. In fact, His word is filled with His love toward those who sin, His compassion towards those who fall, His grace towards those who stumble, His understanding towards the weak....

But His word is also filled with blessings for those who do what is right.

Let's take one more look at Colossians 1 "...We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while you will grow as you learn to know God better and better." (vs. 9-10)

The rewards for doing God's will far outweigh the cost! Don't ever think that His will is not worth the trouble! 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When my emotions are out of control...

Image
Often in the shadows I sit, surrounded by piles and piles of emotions that hold my attention and overwhelm me. Often they arrive in a sandstorm of confusion, walling me in and leaving me full of fear.  They're dirty emotions. Many of them don't make any sense to me. And the more I try to bring order to the piles around me, the more of a mess it all becomes.  One addition to my piles of emotions came through a friend who didn't fulfill my expectations. The one before that came through a sibling who hurt me. Another whirlwind arrived in the form of broken dreams. And yet another came in the quiet of my bedroom, looking in the mirror at a failure -myself- a girl who could never be good enough; a girl who'd never measure up.
Read more

He gives MORE grace

Image
Seasons of great need - how easily we shun them like the plague.   The past several weeks have been drenched in many challenges and needs for me and my family.  Need that has had me crying out to God, “how long?”  I beg him for a time limit, some light at the end of the tunnel, but when I look for it, I just see more tunnel.  What is the purpose of a season like this?  This is the question I have found myself asking God on a near daily basis.  I won’t say I’ve found out the fullness of the answer yet, but pressing the question so much has yielded some light for me.  After all, He promises that those who seek will find.  And one thing He keeps pressing into my soul is this:  My need is my opportunity to test the limits I think God has on the amount of grace He will give me.  And oh, if I could recount to you all the ways He has already poured so much grace, you would think me a spoiled daughter of the King.  But if you saw how each day, I awaken to fresh new needs that have me stumbling
Read more

Living out of His pleasure

Image
The sun was shining in the window as I held our newest little blessing in my lap and fed her a bottle.  I could hear my two-year-old crying in her crib, while my three-year-old softly tried to talk sense to her from her bed across the room. (It's hilarious to overhear, but that's a whole other topic.) I looked up at the clock and my heart sank.  "Late again," I thought. "Poor girls... When will I get the timing of the morning down? No wonder Avi is so upset."  As usual, I felt like kicking myself. Two weeks of this, and I still don't have it down....  A gentle nudge from within stopped me from going any further down that path.  "Do you really expect to be mistake free?"  // The last couple of weeks have been uncomfortable for me as I learn the ropes of endless paperwork, visits, communication with people involved in the foster care system, court dates and building a relationship with the baby's biological family.  It would certainly be a lo
Read more