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Sunday, October 18, 2009

The Will of God

Lots of Christians wonder, "What is the will of God for my life?" I'm here to help. Let me clear that one up for you. (Kind, aren't I?)

Most of you probably know this passage. (If you don't, you didn't read one of my recent posts on the subject.)
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (1 Thess 5:16-18).
There you have it, straight from the mouth of God. God's will for you is to rejoice always, to pray without ceasing, and to give thanks in all circumstances. Clear enough?

Lesser known but, interestingly, in the same letter, Paul uses this phrase "this is the will of God for you" in another passage.
This is the will of God, your sanctification: 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; that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness (1 Thess 4:3-7).
It can be boiled down to one word -- sanctification -- but Paul doesn't leave that word without explanation. This is holiness -- being set apart from sin for God -- but it has specific components. First, abstain from sexual immorality, a broad concept that would include everything from sex outside of marriage to looking at a woman with lust (or, in today's vernacular, pornography). Overall, know self-control. Your body should honor God, not operate by your desires. And you ought to be doing all you can to help your fellow Christians in this regard, first by not providing temptations in this regard (ladies, this would be of key importance to you toward men) and second by supporting them in this process of sanctification -- self-control and abstinence from sexual immorality. (Why is it that so few guys work at supporting each other in this arena, a common problem among most males? Seems like we should be working together on this, not trying to hash it out in our own private and often failing little corners.)

Okay, let's see where we are. What is God's will for your life? Holiness. Good. Okay. That includes rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, and giving thanks in all circumstances. It includes running from sexual immorality, learning self-control, and assisting each other in the process. Now, am I saying that this is all of God's will for your life? No, of course not. He has other things in mind, too. No, I'm not saying that's it. Here's what I'm suggesting. You get that little list of known factors in God's will for you mastered, and then you can start to wonder about the rest. How's that? Any help?

2 comments:

Danny Wright said...

You are no help Stan. I thought you were going to tell me wheather or not is was God's will that I buy that new car.

Stan said...

No help at all, eh?