God's Perfect Will

Sometimes we actually hate our life. Too many trials and disappointments rip at our heart and smother us with a blanket of insecurity, fear and trouble.

We attempt to control our circumstances, but that is not any easier than grasping for the wind (Ecclesiastes 2:17). It is impossible to do; and therefore, crazy to attempt.

Solomon, the richest and wisest man who ever lived on this earth, realized that he could not buy happiness. He tried to find it by amassing worldly goods, marrying a multitude of wives, and even by worshiping false gods.

Eventually, he applied the wisdom from above to his own life and realized that this world's riches are fleeting at best. Total surrender to God is our only hope of attaining unending joy in this life.

Before He even created the universe, God specifically chose each one of us to walk in holiness according to His will for our individual life and to live for His praise and glory (Ephesians 1:4; Isaiah 43:21).

God created us for a purpose (Ephesians 2:10), not just as a cruel joke or at some random selection. He designed each of us with His perfect will in mind and He attempts to lead us to walk in His ways (Hebrews 13:21).

Too often we take a sidetrack from His intended route and waste valuable time and resources on pursuing our own dreams and goals. We end up spinning our wheels and making our self miserable.

We can walk in lasting happiness only as we follow God's plan for our individual life. It takes time to seek His will for each moment of our day, but the results are totally worth any effort on our part.

Prayer:

Father God, help us to receive what You offer to us rather than trying to manipulate You into giving us what we want. Work in our life to draw us closer to Your heart each day. Create in us a clean heart and renew a Godly spirit within us (Psalm 51:10) until we can truly say with conviction and veracity, "Lord, You are all I need".

Show us the times that we attempt to manipulate You and use You for our own gains. Remind us that You have our best in mind (Jeremiah 29:11). You remove our defenses and affirm Your love for us by Your acceptance of us even while we were still sinners (Romans 5:8). You build us up and meet all of our needs until You remove all doubt from our heart (Colossians 2:7).

Thought for the Day:

Once we decide to totally submit to God's will for us, regardless of where, with whom or how it plays out, we eventually find true contentment and fulfillment in this life.

On Mission for Christ

The church is not a building, a social club or a charitable organization. It is a world-wide Body of Believers with various functions on Mission for Christ. We each have an appointed job to do for the glory of our King (Ephesians 2:10, 4:1).

We are not on this earth to amass worldly goods, but to be a missionary for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God may give us the ability to acquire money, but it is to use for His Kingdom rather than our own pleasures.

Are you going to the grocery store? There is a divine appointment waiting for you there. Are you attending a ball game for one of your children or grandchildren? God has someone there who needs the Christ in you.

Our place of employment, neighborhood and community are our mission field. If nothing else, we can hand out our Sunday bulletin and invite someone to join us next week for a service.

If our focus is inward, our ministry team or church will self-destruct. We will develop an exclusivity mentality where other people are not welcome and growth of any kind is resisted. Backbiting, gossip and disgruntlement will grow.

Petty differences and self-centered desires will take the place of God's will for our church. We become at ease in Zion (Amos 6:1). We push God and His purposes right out of our church life, as well as our personal life.

We spend more money and time on our own pursuits than on God's calling for our life. Our focus is on having a good time and being happy rather than laying down our life and taking up our daily cross (1 John 3:16; Luke 9:23).

Our eternal reward is limited because we only seek our own pleasure during this lifetime. We want nothing to do with sacrifice or doing anything hard or unpleasant for the Lord. We might contribute toward paying for someone else to do the disagreeable chores, but we cannot be bothered.

Each small group in the Church, each ministry group like singles, seniors, or men's or women's Bible study needs a mission, as well as a time of fellowship and outings to enjoy each other's company. Let's consult God in all we say and do (Proverbs 3:5-6).

Prayer:

Father God, give us a heart of flesh in place of our heart of stone (Ezekiel 36:26). Make us a Kingdom-minded army of Believers who would rather serve You and share our testimony and Your Word with the world around us than to seek this world's riches and pleasures for our own benefit.

Prick our conscience when we get off track and focus on our self, our next vacation or the purchase of our next expensive toy; so that we do not lose our heavenly rewards. If we do not obey Your will for our life, we will have no spiritual fruit or righteous deeds. We will stand naked and ashamed at our wedding feast with King Jesus (Revelation 3:18, 19:8). 

Thought for the Day:

Christ is our whole life (Colossians 3:4); so, develop a mission-minded purpose for your life and pursue the things of God rather than what the flesh, the world and the devil have to offer; the good things in life rob us of the rewards we would receive if we focused instead on the best things, which God calls us to do.

Lasting Treasure

 

 

God knows the thoughts and objectives of our heart (Hebrews 4:12). We walk out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ who dwells within us in all of His divine fullness (Colossians 1:13; 2 Peter 1:4). We walk in His Light, because Christ in us is our light (Psalm 27:1; Matthew 5:14-16). Apart from Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5), but when He works through us, all things are possible (Matthew 19:26; Philippians 4:13). We abide in Him and He teaches us to believe, talk, think and act like Him (Galatians 2:20).

Then, we live in the center of God’s will for each moment of our day. The Spirit and Christ in us lead us to follow Jesus’ example and to do only those things, which our Father instructs us to do. This takes no striving or human effort on our part. As we wait on the Lord, He renews our strength and we rise up on eagle’s wings (Isaiah 40:31). We only get caught off guard or walk out of the Spirit when we rely on our human effort and understanding instead (Proverbs 3:5-6).

We no longer struggle with fears, doubts and unrest. We enter into His rest (Hebrews 4:10). We no longer attempt to earn our salvation or our sanctification, because we know that just as with glorification, we can do nothing to attain these states of Christian maturity. We live in peace, which transcends human understanding (Ephesians 3:20-21), and we walk in His Spirit (Galatians 5:16, 25).

We walk in contentment regardless of the amount of this world’s goods, which we lack. We can live in a mud hut in Africa without a blanket to our name and still be rich in His wisdom and grace (Proverbs 19:11). We find abundant delight as we walk in His will (Psalm 119:35). We abstain from carnal lust, which war with the desires of our heart, because we are not tempted or drawn to this wicked and perverse world (1 Peter 2:11).

We walk in joy, regardless of the trials in our life, and persevere in walking by His Spirit. We witness a transformation in our life as He leads us ever further into His perfection (James 1:2-4). This happens when we realize that each trial is a new adventure in Christ. He uses us to further His Kingdom in the earth regardless of our limitations or failings, because Christ in us is our true treasure and our hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Nothing will ever separate us from His love (Romans 8:35-39).

Prayer:

Father God, we have no desire to lay up treasure on this earth, because they usually end up broken or stolen eventually (Luke 16:8-9). Help us to lay up treasure in heaven instead, because this is where our heart truly lies (Matthew 6:19:21). When we come to the end of our life, we see our true accomplishments only in the people in whose lives You use us to minister (1 Thessalonians 2:19-20).

Thought for the Day:

When we abide in Christ, people no longer see us, but Christ in us. – 1 Peter 2:9