For the next few blogs we are going to be looking at the topic of Discovering God’s Will for your Life.  A few weeks a go I felt as if this is what God was wanting me to share with some of our cool volunteers at Oak Leaf Church.  I heard back from a few that it was something that they needed to hear.  I think that it is this way with more folks than what we think.  So we are going to take it from the top as in what’s God’s Will for the world and take it all the way down to what does it mean for me.  I think this will be very eye opening for all of us. Because until we get this we have no idea what it is we are suppose to be doing.  Have you felt that way lately?

So saying that, here we go;

How do we know what it is that we are suppose to be doing?  How do we know the discernible will of God?  How do we hear the voice of God?   I don’t mean so much an audible voice.  I have never heard God like that and I don’t think I want to.  Can you imagine that kind of stuff would mess you up for the rest of your life!

But what we are talking about is the Jehovah, a father, God that is concerned with the decisions we are making.  We need to step back for a moment and stop being so wrapped up in our own lives and see that God has a much bigger and grander scheme than what we know about.  He wants you and me to be an integral part of it and He wants to use us.

Take a look at this really cool verse

Proverbs 3:6 …”in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight”. (NIV)

He will make your paths obvious. He will make it all clear.  This is a promise to us from God the father that when we want to get in on the game plan and be a part of the scheme He will let you know what it is your are suppose to be doing.

According to the scriptures there are three different ways that we can describe the will of God.  That is if we took all the times that the will of God is mentioned in the Bible it would be put in of three categories.

The will of God three different ways:

1.    The providential will of God.
2.    The moral will of God.
3.    The personal will of God.

1.     The providential will of God.
It is the stuff that God is going to do.  You do not have to pray for it because it will happen anyway.

Galatians 4:4-5 4 “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.” NLT

Rev. 20:11-15 stated that all of us will be judged.  We do not have to request it.  He is just going to do it and nothing will change His mind.  It was the providential will of God that Jesus would return, that He would raise up the Messiah through the nation of Israel.  God is going to do these things whether we like it or not and it is not hinged on our desire or obedience.

But now here is the interesting point; God uses men and women to fulfill His providential will. (E.g. Mary mother of Jesus, Abraham father of the Israelites, Apostle Paul preacher to the Gentiles, etc…)  As believers the more we recognize the providential will of God the more we can identify and discern His will for our lives.  And the only way to find out His will is to read the scriptures.

We’ll talk about step two next time.

For all of those from back home here are some pics of the house starting to go up and I threw in some pics of the kids.  Now that the house has started it is going up quickly.  We hope and pray    (and would ask that you would do the same) that this will be a real quick process. Thanks for checking in and I also have thrown in some pics of the fam as well so you can see how the youngins are doing.  Drop us a line, we miss you guys back home.

Sometimes, the days can be long being a pastor and the hours are kind of weird but the pay-offs can be out of this world!

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to hang out with my Journey Group and discuss the topic of bitterness.  This is a huge one for guys, especially when it comes to our relationships with our fathers.  It was a good time for discussion and a good time to begin working on forgiving those that have wronged us.

Then while driving home I got to chat with a great lady about some of her ups and downs in her Journey Group life.  It was a good time to hear her concerns and then begin to encourage and plan with her about what she can do.

Then after the kids were in bed I snuck out to meet with one of my Journey Group coaches.  We had a great time talking a little bit about group and a  lot about what God may be up to in his life.

All in all, even though it was a long day it was a good day.  While driving that night I felt like that I was able to actually be effective in being a pastor.  I was able to mentor, encourage, lead, and challenge people to follow what God is asking them to do with their lives.

I know that I made my Father smile….it was a good day.

As I have been going through the book of Luke there have been some things that have been sticking out to me.  Things, wouldn’t you believe it, about church stuff.

A lot of us think we have it figured out.   I mean we follow the rules, go to church, we’re  a good citizen, etc…  Along with this we might even be followers of Christ.  So what else is there?  Is there anything else I should be concerned with.  Have I made it and from this point on it is just keep getting better by making sure that my sinful nature stays checked.

Listen to what Jesus had to say;

18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. 20 “You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY , DO NOT MURDER , DO NOT STEAL , DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS , HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER .’” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25 “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”

Along with following the rules comes the sacrifice.  You see it was easy for this guy to follow the rules and because of his cushy lifestyle he didn’t have to sweat too much.  Then Jesus dropped the bomb on him and basically said that following Him would have to cost something.

Where are you at?  I don’t think this means that having things is bad but you have them for a purpose.  Your ’stuff’ belongs to God anyway.  Are you ready to give it up.  When you serve does it cost you anything?  Is there a level of discomfort that comes with it?  Or is it easy for you to serve because your life is cushy?

Jesus seemd to put a big emphasis on it (eternal life). Should’nt you?

Parable of the Dinner – Luke 14

16 But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; 17 and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ 18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ 19 “Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ 20 “Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ 21 “And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ 22 “And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 “And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled.

24 ‘For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’”

I was reading this story, that Jesus told, the other day and something stuck out to me.  You see, most would agree that this is a parable that teaches that Jesus came for the Jews first and when they didn’t care the good news it would be shared with the Gentiles, that’s everyone else and that’s good news for us.

But what I noticed is what the servant was doing for his master.  To me, and I say this is totally from my head and should not be taken as some type of commentary note, the role of the servant is what caught my eye.  He was the go between, the one that got the message out.

The servant, I took it was now the church, let’s say Oak Leaf.  Here’s what I think should be going on.

• We’re suppose to be the interceder between the world and God.
• The message is for everyone not just those of our preferences.
• We should already know the mind of God and be about doing His will before He even asks us to do something.

It is a tough role to be the servant.  Are you up for the challenge?