Experiencing God’s Will

John 4:34, “My food is to do the Will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His Work.”  NIV

For Jesus doing the Will of God was more important than anything else!  Seriously Anything!  Even the very things that is necessary for life such as Food, Water and even Sleep.  I have to ask, “Are you that committed to do the Will and Work of God?”

Ok, so this is a toughie!  Have you ever felt like you have absolutely no clue what God is doing let alone what He wants you to do in order to follow and do His Will?  I have been there recently.  One thing I found was that I was not asking God the right questions.  My questions were selfish and in a way demanding that God in His Divine power bend His Will to meet my need/want/desire/purpose.  But that is not how God operates.  I must submit or bend my will to join God where He is working.

Once you know God’s Plan and Will then you can adjust your life to Him and His purposes for it.  He has a plan and purpose for your life and it is based on what He is doing in you.  “What is God’s Will?”  So ask God to reveal his will to you in a very personal loving way. 

Henry Blackaby says, “Don’t just do something” just to be doing something.  I have this running joke (saying) with my wife and kids, “There is no benefit in flailing!” The old NIKE mission statement of “Just Do It” has penetrated all of us and often we think that if we just start doing something for God then we’ll feel closer to him and we will obviously be doing His will.  But if we are just doing something without a purpose, we flail - having no or little benefit to God’s Work and His people and using up all our strength and resources in vain.

Jesus says in John 15:5, “I am the Vine, you are the branches.  He who abides in me and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing!”  You see, we sometimes miss the first and most important step in doing God’s Will – Being with God, and Growing a Love Relationship with God.  God wants all of us to experience a greater knowledge of Him in every area of our lives.  When we allow Him to guide us and work through us then He will do great things through us.

God is absolutely trustworthy!   If you are concerned about knowing and doing God’s Will like I am, then remember that God is more interested in your Love Relationship with Him than He is about what your work ethic for Him. As God then fills you with His Loving presence, He will guide you to do the great things He has planned for your life.  Jesus is the Way and when you follow His leadership one day at a time, then your life will produce much fruit because you will be doing God’s Will.

Philippians 2:13 says, “It is God who works in you, both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”  All we have to do is:

·         Follow God’s leading one day at a time

·         Keep Following when He doesn’t give out all the details

·         Follow  Jesus’ lead as the “Way” through this world. 

Remember

This last week I was reading Joshua 4:1-24. It is the account when God stopped the Jordan River and all the Israelites walked across to the Promised Land on dry ground. After God did that amazing thing, He had Joshua choose 12 men to get 12 stones and construct a memorial.

What are the major Spiritual Events (when God did something amazing) in your life that you can remember?

I took an afternoon one day, and sat in my office to remember mine.  When we take the time to remember, something amazing happens.  We draw closer to the One we remember and the events and circumstances that took place with that One.  In other words, we strengthen our connection and relationship.

Here are a few Memorial Words that may help you Remember the spiritual events in your life.

• Birth - On your birthday, God gives you life!  Consider the incredible truth in the fact that God created you for a purpose on purpose to be about living His purpose.
• Salvation - God gives you Jesus and new life!  It is through the life, teaching, blood, death, and resurrection of Jesus that we can truly experience New Life and live that life fully.
• Forgiveness - God gives you a second chance!  If you have ever realized that you are a sinner and flawed in every way, then you know that you need the cleansing power of forgiveness.  Face it we have all messed up at some point, but what God freely offers to anyone seeking is a fresh, clean restart.  A second chance to live for what is right.
• Calling - God gives you purpose and direction!  Our lives are to be defined and guided by a Love for God, a Love for Others and the expressions of that Love through the Good News of Jesus Christ.  I love the fact that He knows you and wants you to join His team because He created you to do something amazing with your life for Him.
• Reward - God gives out the blessing of rewards - now and in the future!  Someday He will ask you to give an account of how your life was lived.  When that happens, we will all have to stand before Him and remember.  Don't you want to remember the Faithfulness, Righteousness, Holiness, Love and Obedience that has been actively expressed throughout your life?  I do!

Take time this week to remember and embrace God who is doing amazing things in your life!

God’s Nature at Work

1 John 4:7-8  Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. NIV  Take some time this week to memorize this verse.  It's Awesome Truth!

God created you to experience a love relationship with Him.  He longs for you to love Him, and respond to His immeasurable love for you.  Consider what you know about Love.  How does it (Love) make you feel?  Now multiply that feeling by God’s Immeasurable Greaterness!  Can you imagine how His Love can make you feel if you allow Him to fill you with Love.

God’s Love never changes for you.  It is constant – always and forever!  When we don’t feel close to God or His love feels distant or just plain ol’ bad stuff happens in our lives or the world, It’s not a result of a change in God’s Love.  It is a result of something that has changed in us or in the world.  Have you ever felt distant from God?  When was that?  What were some of the circumstances going on in your life?

Consider these 3 aspects of God’s Nature that dispose Him to act the way that He does.  

• God is LOVE
• God is ALL-KNOWING
• God is ALL-POWERFUL

Each of these characteristics has special implications on how you relate to God, and how you understand and do His Will for your life.

As you better your relationship with God this week, consider how you have seen these 3 aspects of God’s Nature working in your life, and be thankful that God is All-Powerful in All Things, All knowing in Everything, and Loving You in Every Way!