I have been giving a lot of thought to the will of God lately. Invariably, when anyone faces a big decision they have some way of reasoning through it to discern what choice to make. For the Christian, the mode is to turn to God and seek Him in the midst of the decision and to make a decision that will glorify Him.
That said, I am not sure if seeking God’s will in the various decisions we make looks anything like we think it will. As I am faced with more and more decisions, I think that I am slowly but surely learning what it means to seek God in all of my decisions.
Too often that has meant waiting for some sign. Too often I think I expect the decision to fall in my lap and be made for me. But that is rarely how decisions are made and it is a lazy attitude to boot.
It has become increasingly important for me to learn that God has already revealed His will for me, for the Christian, and for every person in His Book: the Bible. “[God] desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:4). For everyone this means that God desires that all would come to place faith in Jesus Christ and be saved.
Scripture also teaches that God desires that Christians, including myself, be saved. I began this post with 1 Thess. 4: 3, “For this is the will of God, your sanctification…” but the verse continues further, “…that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the gentiles who do not know God…” (vv.3-5). God desires that we who have placed our faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ would continue to be saved, that we would continue to grow in relationship Him and turn away from our sin in repentance and towards Christ in faith.
I have learned that knowing the will of God for my life means, first and foremost, knowing the Scriptures and what He reveals in them. I have learned several other lessons that have flowed from this first one.
We know that God is a Trinitarian God and has made us in His image. Part of this means that as God has had an eternal community with Godhead, the persons of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; He has made us to experience community as well.
Making decisions in the context of community as opposed to making decisions in the solitude of my own judgment is the next big takeaway. Talking to trusted friends who know me well and older guys who have gone through life helps me to make a better decision. I have found so much clarity to come from discussions with friends. Clarity has come as friends challenge me in a way that reveals my own heart and desires and reminds me of God’s overarching will for my life and the gifts and passions that He has given me uniquely.
In closing, I suppose the best way to some up what I have learned is this: My big decisions are never made alone but by first looking to God’s revealed will in Scripture, always seeking Him in prayer, and walking through the decision in the community He has blessed me with.
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