Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Will of God

The instruction is general, the responsibility is personal
A few weeks ago we traveled to North Eastern Germany where we were invited to give a series of workshops at a conference. My husband and me enjoy teaching as a team and during that weekend we spoke on the will of God, the plan of God, the voice of God and the power of God in our lives. I thought it would be fun to share some of the nuggets on this weblog, in a nut shell of course :) So, let's start with the will of God for our lives.

The will of God is a general instruction for all believers. There is really no such thing as the will of God for our individual life; that would be called the plan of God. Often, we confuse the will of God with the plan of God. The will of God = the Word of God = the Law of God. His will is His system, or His testament for the believers. Jesus states in Matthew 12:50, Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven, is my brother and sister and mother. His will is something we do, not something God will do for us. We proclaim it in our prayers: Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10). God desires His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven! He tells us to proclaim that. It is our role/assignment to execute His will (His testament) here on earth. The instruction is therefore general, but the responsibility is personal. 

It takes a change of mind to execute His will, instead of waiting for it to happen. Romans 12:2 says, Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.
So, what is God's will for you and me, for us all? Scripture teaches us a few basics:
  • Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).Well, that would give us enough work for the rest of our lives, right?
  • It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality... (1 Thessalonians 4:3). No theology needed to explain that one, right?
  • For my Father's will is that everyone who look to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life...(John 6:40). Here we see God's will through Jesus, transferred to us.
Is everything that happens on earth God's will? NO! Even in a few scriptures as mentioned above, we see what God's will is on earth, but often we see the opposite happening. This is however not a reason for despair, but a call to action. There is work to do for the believers.

Let's stop asking for His will, but start doing His will!

19 comments:

  1. Love your blog makeover. My favorite color! :O)

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  2. Thanks Diane, it's refreshing... fit's the title :)

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  3. Have never looked at it in that light.
    His will vs. His plan

    ah-ha moment
    thanks

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  4. As always, you give me words for thoughtt that go straight to the heart ♥

    Thanks tons!

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  5. Marja,
    That is a whole new perspective for me, regarding God's will. I tended to run with my old Minister's saying the God's will is an outstretched boot and a beckoning hand, though I never seemed to be aware of either!
    Your words will help to straighten me out and I surely need your clear perspective.
    Blessings,
    Wyn.

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  6. Beautiful post, Marja! And I love the blog makeover! Very pretty.

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  7. Becky, don't you love ah-ha moments?! Thanks for visiting, glad you were blessed.

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  8. Lorrie, straight to the heart... I am glad to hear that. I always hope to inspire you!

    Wyn, I am glad you appreciate my clear perspective :) Isn't it great how we van inspire one another?

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  9. Marja:
    Interesting thoughts. I love the scripture from Romans 12. We can't be carbon copies of the world if we belong to Jesus.

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  10. Great insight, Marja! You're absolutely right - "His will is something we do, not something God will do for us." Wow! Puts the focus on what's important: It's not about us, it's all about Him!! Thanks for this fantastic reminder! Have a beautiful weekend full of God's blessings! :)

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  11. Hi Heather, thanks for your kind words!

    Quiet spirit, it is one of my favorite scriptures, I keep finding new truths in it!

    Dear Maria, amazing how we both wrote on the same scripture! Have a great weekend, enjoy!

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  12. I really like this, Marja. I sometimes wrestle with the whole Calvinism thing - just what does God's sovereignty mean? God wills that we pray, etc. Some would even say that if we don't pray, even when God wills that we should pray, it is still his will, or at least he has ordained it, b/c he is over everything. Tough issues/questions. I like how you discussed this here. wb

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  13. Hi Marja -

    I like the way you explained the difference between God's will and God's plan. Excellent post!

    Blessings,
    Susan :)

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  14. Thanks Warren and Susan for your comments and input. That really helps me. I'll probably do another post on the Plan of God soon.

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  15. Very interesting, Marja! It would be fun to hear you and your husband speak on these topics. So glad you shared your thoughts here.

    Love the new look! :)

    Blessings,
    Karen

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  16. Thanks Karen, refreshing green I call it!

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  17. Great post, Marja! Truly, let's start doing His will!

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  18. Hi Connie, thanks for your visit & comment, appreciate you stopping by!

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  19. Just read it again. I like your perspective. Glad to find someone who agrees with my view on it!

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Thanks for your visit, it is my hope and prayer that this post was an encouragement to you! Feel free to leave a comment.