What is God’s will for my life and your life? It’s one of those abstract, paradoxical, mysterious, and often unanswerable questions that we sometimes ask as we look ahead to what’s next in our lives, as we consider the future, and when we contemplate our hopes, dreams, plans, and pursuits. We ponder how our desires, and the providence of God might go hand in hand. But where do we look? How do we measure our lives up next to the will of God? First, it’s important not to minimize the will of God to what lies ahead in the future. The will of God is more than foresight, or even his “plans”. That is most definitely a part of the will of God, but his will is also what God desires for our lives. In fact, that is the part that he makes known to us. Everything that God commands, all that God desires of us, all that is most glorifying to him is laid out for us in the Word of God. God wills for us to be faithful and obedient followers of Jesus!
Here, in Matthew 5, Jesus delivers the famous Sermon on the Mount and begins with the “Beattitues’, and it’s within these beatitudes, that Jesus spells out some central bits and pieces of Gods will for the life of every believer. To live a life that is humble, thoughtful of others, seeks to honor God, extends mercy, is pure in heart, peaceable, and one that values eternity over the fleeting comforts that this world has to offer.
Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
The will of God for the disciples and for us, through the very words of Jesus is this: that we would desire the reward of eternity and be filled with a joy that is not of this world, more than we desire the cares of this world. Even if that means the world hates us, persecutes us, or rewards us in the most comfortable of ways. Not only is there the blessing of eternity, but there is the blessings of joy. When your heart and mind find the place where they are more content in what God desires than what the world can offer, life becomes a pretty peaceful reality. Just ask Paul. Many of his letters, especially the book of Philippians, is chock-full of joyful content that is found in no one other than Jesus. A man that had it “all” according to the world's standard, lost it all. But in reality, he gained everything in the joy-saturated life that aimed toward eternity. The verses that follow speak of the continued blessing and impact that a life centered around joy in Christ can have: “You are the salt of the earth… and you are the light of the world.” When the world sees that you care more about Christ and eternity, that you have a God-given joy that the world can never rip out of your hands, it shines light upon the darkness and gives flavor to what is tasteless. It gives purpose to the purposeless and hope to the hopeless.
Be blessed. If you are faithfully and obediently pursuing Jesus, remember this: In whatever comes, in whatever goes, in good times and bad, when you’re persecuted and trampled upon for the sake of Christ, just know, you’re right where God wants you - joyfully seeking and savoring his will for your life. Be blessed.
Here, in Matthew 5, Jesus delivers the famous Sermon on the Mount and begins with the “Beattitues’, and it’s within these beatitudes, that Jesus spells out some central bits and pieces of Gods will for the life of every believer. To live a life that is humble, thoughtful of others, seeks to honor God, extends mercy, is pure in heart, peaceable, and one that values eternity over the fleeting comforts that this world has to offer.
Matthew 5:10-12 “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
The will of God for the disciples and for us, through the very words of Jesus is this: that we would desire the reward of eternity and be filled with a joy that is not of this world, more than we desire the cares of this world. Even if that means the world hates us, persecutes us, or rewards us in the most comfortable of ways. Not only is there the blessing of eternity, but there is the blessings of joy. When your heart and mind find the place where they are more content in what God desires than what the world can offer, life becomes a pretty peaceful reality. Just ask Paul. Many of his letters, especially the book of Philippians, is chock-full of joyful content that is found in no one other than Jesus. A man that had it “all” according to the world's standard, lost it all. But in reality, he gained everything in the joy-saturated life that aimed toward eternity. The verses that follow speak of the continued blessing and impact that a life centered around joy in Christ can have: “You are the salt of the earth… and you are the light of the world.” When the world sees that you care more about Christ and eternity, that you have a God-given joy that the world can never rip out of your hands, it shines light upon the darkness and gives flavor to what is tasteless. It gives purpose to the purposeless and hope to the hopeless.
Be blessed. If you are faithfully and obediently pursuing Jesus, remember this: In whatever comes, in whatever goes, in good times and bad, when you’re persecuted and trampled upon for the sake of Christ, just know, you’re right where God wants you - joyfully seeking and savoring his will for your life. Be blessed.