Quest for God’s Will, part 2/4

Quest for God’s Will, part 2/4

Today our quest for what it means to “Live well, Live wisely, live humbly” (James 3:13, MSG) continues. We started our quest yesterday. Today we talk about how ‘living well’ can help us on our quest for God’s will. And, yes, you guessed it, tomorrow we tackle ‘live wisely’ and the day after tomorrow ‘live humbly’.
Living as a Called Person, Quest for God's Will, part 2/4
In essence, following God, being a disciple of Jesus Christ and living in the Holy Spirit, is what leads us to find God’s will. Desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33, CEB)

It’s not more complicated than that and at the same time it can be very confusing. There is no fit-for-all answers. It takes time to discern your calling. It takes trust to wait on God’s timing. But there is not some mystical formula we need to figure out:

You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything. (Col.2:10, MSG)

When we come to Jesus,
the fullness of Christ comes together for us.
When we approach God,
the presence of the Holy Spirit envelopes us.
When we bask in God’s grace,
the peace of God surrounds us.

By God’s grace we learn to recognize God’s guidance. We just need to put our faith in practice and start living it out. Not only on Sundays but every single day of our lives.

So live in Christ Jesus the Lord in the same way as you received him. Be rooted and built up in him, be established in faith, and overflow with thanksgiving just as you were taught.(Col. 2:6-7, CEB, emphasis added)

When we invite God into our problems and concerns,
God will help us.
When we ask for guidance,
God will show us the way.
When we surrender our life to God,
we will find peace beyond understanding.

There is no doubt about God’s guidance. He has promised to be with us until the end of the world. He has promised to guide us as we walk in prayer. We are “to cultivate our own relationship with God” like Romans (14:22, MSG) suggests. What does that mean?

It simply means that through Jesus Christ God becomes the most important aspect of our lives. We start our day shouting “Good morning, God!” and we end our day with a whisper “Thank you, Jesus!” The more we abide in Christ and the more Christ abides in us, the easier it gets to recognize what God wants from us.

God’s plans for each of us are unique and that’s why we need to cultivate our own relationship with God. We don’t need to be something else than we are. We are called to serve God just as we are. God has a unique plan for each of us. What should we then do?

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.(Romans 12:1-2, MSG)

It’s good to realize that God wants us to live our lives to the fullest. We are called to LIVE, not just to pass time. God wants good things for us. God wants to be there with us and he is calling us to partner in his work in this world. What is your place in his work? Ask God, he will respond. I leave you today with this Friedrich Buechner quote: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

 

Gracious God,
Thank you for being
Such an amazing, loving & attentive God!
Thank you for guiding us,
teaching us how to live in you.
Show us what is your will for each of us.
Don’t let us mess up your perfect plans for us.
May only your will happen in our lives.
Abide in us, teach us to see you in the world.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: What is your place in God’s work?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you live well as a called person!

Image courtesy of Adam Hines. Parts of this post has previously been published 4/2010. Linking up today with What’s on Your Heart Tuesdays &Soli Deo Gloria.

8 thoughts on “Quest for God’s Will, part 2/4

  1. “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead,fix your attention on God.” Yes ,this is what I am continually reminded of . Thank you for these words of wisdom!

  2. “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your
    everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and
    walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.”Thanks for this important reminder, my dear friend!  And I LOVE the new blog-look! (Maybe it’s not “new”; maybe I’ve just been away too long! 🙂  )

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

RSS
Follow by Email