Finding God’s Will For Our Lives – What Is God’s Will? (Part #2)

“Not my will, but thine, be done”

Prov 3:6 – “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

 In this short 12 word verse, we find one of the most precious promises of the Bible… the promise for the Lord’s leadership and guidance in our lives.   But in this same verse, we find one of the most difficult aspects of the Christians life… following the path the Lord desires for our life. 

One of the my most frequently asked questions is “How can I find God’s will for my life?”   In the next 6 blog entries we will be seeing what God’s word teaches us about this important subject…

1. What is God’s will ?


2. Not my will, but thine be done.


3. Thus saith the Lord


4. Oh what a feeling


5. Open and shut doors


6. Summary of the study                            

In part number 2 of our study lets study… “Not my will, but Thine, be done.”

THE SCRIPTURE:

Ps 40:8 I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law [is] within my heart.

Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

John 4:34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

THE STUDY:

Our search for the Lord’s will starts with a brutally honest look at our own hearts.  Before beginning our search, we must ask ourselves the question, “Am I willing to do whatever the Lord wants me to do?”  By God’s grace we all can answer “yes” to this question.  If we can say “yes”, we are ready to begin our search for His guidance in the many life issues that we face.

Unfortunately, if you are like me, at times, I would have to say “no” in response to this question.  

King David is described by the Lord as, “a man after mine own heart” (Acts 13:22).   David illustrates this principle when he wrote: “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law [is] within my heart.”  (Ps 40:8)  

David’s desires were the same as the desires of Christ’s heart ….

“Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” (John 4:34)

“I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” (John 5:30)

“For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” (John 6:38)

Christ not only talked the talked but He walked the walk…

One of the verses that has been the greatest blessing to my heart over the years is found in Luke 22:42,  “…Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.”   To appreciate the depth of Christ’s devotion to the will of His Father, please remember the context of this verse.  The “cup” Christ is speaking of is His coming crucifixion.  Think about it… when faced with a horribly brutal death on the cross, Christ voiced His own desires to the Father before stating, “it really doesn’t matter what I desire…. I am willing to put my desires aside, and do what you would have me to do…. even to the point of a brutal, painful, humiliating, torturous death on the cross.”  (my paraphrase)

After being given such a wonderful example of self-sacrifice, putting our heavenly Father first in our lives, shouldn’t we do the same?   Think of what a sad example we set when we go through the motions of seeking His will as an after-thought.  We basically are saying…. “I’m going to do (fill in the blank), I’ll see if that’s ok with you, Lord.”  What a shame.

THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION

For those who are saved…

As Christians, we have been purchased by Christ through His death on the cross, paying the price for our sins.  (1 Cor 6:20).  That’s why Paul describes the need to be a living sacrifice for the Lord… after all, it is simply our “reasonable service” to Him. (Rom 12:1).

Would the Lord deny showing us His will, if we sincerely desire to act upon His will, putting

Him above all others desires in our life?   I think not.

Matt 7:7-11

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

In our search for God’s Will to be shown to us….

Prayer Principle #2 -  We must pray for a spirit of self-sacrifice and self-control, putting our Lord first, as we begin our search for His will. 

For those who are not saved….

The Lord’s will for the life of those who have never trusted in Christ is clearly declared in 1Tim 2:3-6 …

For this [is] good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

For more information about salvation and the forgiveness of sins, please refer to my blog page found here: http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/all-about-salvation/

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To see this lesson taught on video please go to my Video Blog at  http://www.youtube.com/settledinheaven

 If you have any questions concerning this blog, or if you have a subject you would like discussed, please feel free to email me at settledinheaven@gmail.com.    I will answer all emails via my blog, email, or both.

 Take A Look At My Wife’s Artistic/Scriptural Devotion Blog http://alivewithchristart.blogspot.com

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 May the Lord bless your study of His Word.  Like God’s Word… may your soul’s salvation and your life’s faithfulness be “Settled in Heaven.”

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The Justification of Lebron James …

This past week Lebron James made his nationally televised “decision” and left the Cleveland Cavaliers to play for the Miami Heat of the NBA.  As a Christian, I am abhorred by his justification for leaving.   During James’ interview on ESPN, he repeatedly stated his reason for leaving the Cavs.  There was a two-fold motive behind his decision:

 A. So he would be happy

B. So that he would win multiple NBA championships  (in doing so, he will supposedly be classed with the greatest players of all time like Jordan, Russell, Bryant etc.)

 (In case you missed his ESPN interview please go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIw7BakUoTU to see his justification for the move.)

When I was younger, I was always told that my decisions were to be made with the following in mind…

 A.  Above all else, I was to put the Lord’s will first in all my decision making

B.  Next, my immediate family’s welfare was to dictate what my decision was to be.

C.  Thirdly, the good of other people around me was to take a third place in my decisions.

D.  My own desires were to take fourth place in my decisions.

 I have always thought that this was a pretty good way of making decisions and it certainly appears to support Biblical teachings… (Luke 10:27-28, Eph 5:25, 5:28-29).   Then along comes Lebron James… what example does he set for all the young people who look up to him as a role model?   His entire justification for moving to Miami is basically turning the above list of priorities on it’s head.  

 He is telling his followers, by his words and example, that putting themselves first, and making their happiness the number one priority in life, they are making the most of their life on earth.  This reminds me of the King in Ecclesiates that wasted his life seeking happiness and power in all the world had to offer.  (Eccl  1:-12:)

His actions and his words clearly tell us that happiness and lasting fame are the ultimate priority in James’ decision making process.  It is enough to make any Christian weep.

My question is this…. “Since happiness and fame take priority in his decisions, does this mean they are his gods?”  It is really something to think about and something to warn our children about.