The Will of God in our Life

[handy]

Do you think that God has a specific job He want's us to do, a specific person He want's us to marry, a specific house He want's us to live in, a specific car He want's us to drive?

Or is His will more general?

In other words, His will is that whatever job we hold, person we marry, house we live in and car we drive, we do all in His name and to His glory and we follow His principles?

Of course, this question gets into the free will issue. Not necessarily free will unto salvation, but free will in that if I want to be a butcher, a baker or a candlestick maker, I can, as long as I do all to His glory.

Or, do I stay on my knees and not move until I have clear guidence from God as to what job to take or when to buy a car?

 

[A-Christian]

Do you think that God has a specific job He want's us to do, a specific person He want's us to marry, a specific house He want's us to live in, a specific car He want's us to drive?

Or is His will more general?

In other words, His will is that whatever job we hold, person we marry, house we live in and car we drive, we do all in His name and to His glory and we follow His principles?

I don't think God cares if you drive a Chevy or a Toyota, or if you live on 1st avenue or on Cherry Street. He may care who you marry but probably would not stop you from marrying someone you shouldn't. Yup, freewill is the rule. The trick is to make choices that would be pleasing to God. Besides worshipping him, I would think money management, child rearing techniques, earning an honest living, healthy relationship habits, civics, etc..., would be more important to God than the minor issues of which TV to buy.

 

[Vic C.]

When I was 13, I had an intense desire to learn to play guitar. I took several lessons and then dropped it. I picked it up again at 17 and learned to play by "ear". I got fairly good but had no desire to further it by joining a band, etc. I also had a desire to learn about computers in 1993.

Now I play guitar every Sunday morning at church and am responsible for their PCs and network. Maintaining PCs and alarm systems is also my profession. :angel: God gave me gifts and while at the time, I had little use for them... and He then used them for His glory.

 

[handy]

I started this topic because some folks that I know are always saying things like, "I just have to seek God's will over this", even "I'll have to pray about it", when the "this" or the "it" that they are talking about is something like buying a car or seeking a new job. I added the part about marriage, because although it's been awhile now, I remember girlfriends who sometimes agonized over whether or not it was "God's will" that they date a guy or marry the guy they were dating.

Don't get me wrong, I've done it myself. I've prayed and asked for prayer that Steve get a certain job or that something of that nature will work out. I guess though, my prayers are more for God to bless the endevor, or to close the door if it would lead to something that would ultimately be bad for us, or cause us to dishonor Him. I don't know that I've ever just refused to act upon a decision unless I've had a divine nudge. And, I know of some who do so refuse.

 

[Dunamite]

God's will is perfect because he sees all possibilities, the beginning and the end. He knows what is the best course of action for us. He does not make those decisions for us. He gave us free will.

Since our will is not perfect we make mistakes. Our mistakes lead to suffering. We feel the pain, but God shares in it. This pains God because he knows that we could be in better shape than we are. There is a cost attached to free will.

A parent knows this very well. As the parent watches a child take his or her first steps the parent wants the child to discover. The parent delights in the child's success and joy. The parent also knows that this will bring some bumps and bruises. The cost is worth the sacrifice.

It is worth it for God in the same way. He knows that we will deviate, but he knows that there is much joy when we return to his path.

God does not want us to be robots. He gave us free will. If we knew his perfect will and acted accordingly we would still not be robots. We still have the choice to choose wrongly. We just would not take it because to live in God's will is to live in perfection.

God knows the perfect job for you. He knows who would be your perfect mate. If we lived according to his will we would be happy. But we would not lose the right to choose wrongly. That option always exists.

God hopes that we learn from our separation, pain and suffering that his way is best. When we come to this point of acceptance, it will give him great joy. The angels in Heaven are watching too because we are part of a larger struggle.

Satan's rebellion tore at the fabric of God's Heavenly domain. In a sense we are a scoreboard and playing a great game. As we move to God's side the Heavenly hosts will see that Satan's way is wrong and that God is right. They see the pain that Satan brings played out in our lives and they will reject his way. Similarly they will see that living in God's perfect will bring about a life of peace and happiness. Some are rooting for one side and some for the other in this great struggle.

Satan's rebellion preceded ours, but it is about the same thing. Me. Putting one's self on par with God. We live in a culture of self-gratification. The Me problem still exists. Seeking God's will requires us to set aside our thinking and adopt a new strategy. Me becomes We when we work with God. We adopt a different way of thinking and dealing with the world. We see things through God's eyes when we live in his will. We do this through the power of the Holy Spirit who is God. Our free will remains intact but we have a new mind and a different thought process.

Blessings,
Dunamite