"31 Days" Challengechief end of manGod's willplanquestionssanctificationWestminster Shorter CatechismWord of God Speakwrite31days.com
What is God's will for my life?
As I begin this 31 Days challenge to have the "Word of God Speak" into our lives, I must consider the following question:
What is God's will for my life?
This question is one that has haunted many a believer. In fact, some have become paralyzed by this query…agonizing over every, little decision, overanalyzing every seeming "sign" out there as to whether or not it is pointing them in a Godward direction.
Many wonder if there is a specific plan that God has for their lives, one that would be His perfect, holy will. Some feel that they have detoured off of God's divine plan, either by sinning or by making choices "outside" the will of God.
Boy, have I been there.
"Big" questions often plague us the most when it comes to the subject of God's will:
I will tackle some of these heavy questions in a later post. But for now, we must zoom out a bit and consider the larger scheme at work. The forest rather than the trees, as it were. Questions like:
Romans 8:29 declares, "For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son." And 2 Corinthians 3:18 reads, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another."
So how do we proceed in this? Would you believe me if I said the Bible tells us exactly what God's will is for our lives? Well, it does:
So to answer the age-old question, "What is God's will for my life?": growth in the likeness of Christ. This is where we start, and this is where we finish. The process is life-long, however, and it does include our making of godly decisions based on the direction of His Word. Please join in as we continue to discuss this all month!
Many wonder if there is a specific plan that God has for their lives, one that would be His perfect, holy will. Some feel that they have detoured off of God's divine plan, either by sinning or by making choices "outside" the will of God.
Boy, have I been there.
"Big" questions often plague us the most when it comes to the subject of God's will:
To what college should I go?And the list goes on and on…
What career should I choose?
Whom should I marry?
Should we have kids? How many?
I will tackle some of these heavy questions in a later post. But for now, we must zoom out a bit and consider the larger scheme at work. The forest rather than the trees, as it were. Questions like:
What is the purpose of life?The whole counsel of Scripture would point to the glory of God being the purpose of all creation, the reason we were made, etc. The Westminster Shorter Catechism succinctly states that "man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever." If the grand-scale plan of life is this, then God's will for our lives is largely to be conformed to His image - that we might bring honor and glory to God amidst the world around us.
What is the chief end of man?
Why did God create us?
Does God have a plan?
Romans 8:29 declares, "For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son." And 2 Corinthians 3:18 reads, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another."
So how do we proceed in this? Would you believe me if I said the Bible tells us exactly what God's will is for our lives? Well, it does:
1 Thessalonians 4:3With the divine leading of the Holy Spirit, Paul tells us what God's will for us is: sanctification. More simply put: growth in God. Paul then goes on to list many behaviors that either show or do not show conformity to God's ways. His list is not all-inclusive, but it does give us a start for examining whether or not our lives are looking like Christ's.
"For this is the will of God, your sanctification."
So to answer the age-old question, "What is God's will for my life?": growth in the likeness of Christ. This is where we start, and this is where we finish. The process is life-long, however, and it does include our making of godly decisions based on the direction of His Word. Please join in as we continue to discuss this all month!
2 comments
Leah, Thanks for this post and the scriptures you use to back up your reasoning and explanations. I appreciate you!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jacqui! I appreciate you as well! #ironsharpensiron #hashtagsdontworkonblogs :)
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