“But God” - 2 Chronicles 20:15

“But God” - for the battle is not yours but God's

By Nancy Williams

2 Chronicles is an old testament book in the bible, written by Ezra to all of Israel to remind the people of God to humble themselves, pray, seek the Lord’s face and turn from their wicked ways, but their fearful responses keep the peace of God from them. Only God could bring true peace for He is greater than any enemy, army, or nation. All Israel had to do was to be faithful in their responses, trust the Lord and allow His peace to dwell in them. Just as their faithful responses was key to their peace and survival as a nation, so is our obedience to God as individuals if we are going to experience God’s peace.

2 Chronicles 20: 13-17 “Meanwhile all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, son of Benaiah, son of Jeiel, son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, in the midst of the assembly. And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the Lord to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God's. Tomorrow go down against them. Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz. You will find them at the end of the valley, east of the wilderness of Jeruel. You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the Lord will be with you.”

But God’s

As the enemy army bore down on them God spoke through Jahaziel to not be afraid or discouraged for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Did you see that, do not be afraid and do not be dismayed the battle is not ours but God’s. 

We may not fight battles with armies but every day we battle with temptation, sin, pressures, and rulers of the dark who want us to rebel against God (Ephesians 6:12). It is easy to forget in these situations that we need to be obedient to God if we are going to experience His peace. We as believers have been blessed with God’s Spirit in us. We have access to God to help us when we face struggles of any kind and God will fight for us and with us for the battle is His. 

How do we allow God to fight our battles?

By realizing the battle is not ours but God’s – most struggles we face are spiritual - will we obey God or not. Will we stand firm in the Lord, and see the salvation of the Lord on our behalf? 

Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." 

We have all sinned, not one of us is innocent. 

Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 

Jesus Christ died for us! Jesus’ death paid for the price of our sins. Jesus’ resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus’ death as the payment for our sins. Battle won!

Romans 10:9 “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” 

Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins and rescue us from eternal death. Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, is available to anyone who will trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. 

Romans 5:1 "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." 

What a great message that through Jesus Christ we can have a relationship of peace with God.

Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." 

Because of Jesus’ death on our behalf, we will never be condemned for our sins. 

Romans 8:38-39 "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” 

The greatest battle for our soul is won by the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. Once we have surrendered our life to the Lord our next battle is to continually die to self, my ways, my wants and to remain obedient to the Lord.

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” 

Philippians 1: 6 “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

 Psalm 37:5 “Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.” 

Philippians 1:27 "Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel." 

1 Corinthians 15:58 "Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." 

Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

 Luke 9:23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” 

John 12:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

That continual dying to self allows us to grow in our likeness to Christ

Colossians 3:1-17 “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self[d] with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 

And as we become more and more like Christ, we learn to trust Him with our life. 

Isaiah 26: 3-4 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock 

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. 

Jeremiah 7:7-8 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Because the battle is His, I can trust the Lord to fight for and with me as I obey Him with my life.

“But God” - Acts 3:15

By Wendy Wood

“You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.” Acts 3:15 (NIV)

We are very quick to look at our circumstances and allow our feelings to determine if things are “good” or “bad”.  If things seem to be going as we want them to go, we feel happy or content and determine life is good.  If situations are not going as we hoped they would, or what we expected to have happen, we tend to get frustrated or discouraged and think life is not good.  “But God” are the two words that dispel the belief that our perspective or view of our circumstances can determine if our circumstances are “good” or “bad”.

As Jesus was hanging on the cross, circumstances did not look “good”.  Jesus was bloodied and his flesh was torn and hanging from his body.  His cheeks were tear-stained and the dirt from the long walk made mud as his tears of pain and hurt mixed with the dusty earth.  The Romans soldiers and Jewish elite were cheering and declaring victory over the traitor and rebel they believed Jesus to be as Jesus suffered and died.  The disciples were confused and bewildered that the Messiah they had followed and believed in for three years was now dead.  They wondered if they had just wasted three years of their lives and abandoned their livelihoods for nothing.  The sobbing crowd and the cheering enemies saw this same event from different perspectives.  The sobbing crowd mourned the loss of the One they hoped would rescue them from Roman rule and set up His own kingdom on earth to reign.  The cheering soldiers and Jewish elite were convinced their problems had been solved.  The death of Jesus meant their leadership and influence would not be questioned anymore and they could regain their status as respectable, honorable, important men.

Nothing more clearly shows that God is the decisive, sovereign ruler every single moment in time like the words “But God”.  No matter how circumstances look, God is who determines the outcome.  “But God” reminds us that God is always at work for His purpose, His will, and His glory.

“You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.”  Acts 3:15

The death of Jesus did not surprise or frustrate God.  We know from Ephesians 1 that God purposed Christ to die “before the foundations of the world”.  We see in Genesis 3 that God had already planned that Satan would bruise Jesus’ heel, when Jesus died on the cross, but Jesus would crush Satan’s head, when Jesus raised up from the dead victorious over Satan, sin, and death.  When the situation looked bleak and without hope, God’s plan was being carried out.

But God reminds us that God’s ways are not our ways.  Human wisdom would never have a crucified Savior, but rather a ruling and reigning one like the Israelites were hoping for.

But God reminds us that God’s plan is always carried out.  When circumstances look bad, when we think nothing good can possibly happen from this terrible situation, we are reminded that God is working all things according to the purpose of His will.

But God reminds us that nothing can thwart God’s plan.  Satan, enemies, and even our own sin, cannot alter or change God’s perfect plan.  What man intends for evil, God will use for good.  What Satan attempts to tear us from God’s grasp, God’s hold on his children is secure.

But God reminds us that God is all-powerful and that nothing happens outside of his control.

This series of blogs has addressed several different stories and situations in scripture that involve a “But God” statement.  Think about what would have happened if “But God” wasn’t there.  

Take some time to thank God for the “But God” moments in His word!   

God is Always Doing 10,000 Things in Your Life

John Piper

“God is always doing 10,000 things in your life, and you may be aware of three of them.” That was one of our most widely spread tweets in 2012. So we want to say it again for 2013 and make this promise even more solid.

Not only may you see a tiny fraction of what God is doing in your life; the part you do see may make no sense to you.

• You may find yourself in prison, and God may be advancing the gospel among the guards, and making the free brothers bold. (Philippians 1:12–14)

• You may find yourself with a painful thorn, and God may be making the power of Christ more beautiful in weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:7–9)

• You may find yourself with a dead brother that Jesus could have healed, and God may be preparing to show his glory. (John 11:1–44)

• You may find yourself sold into slavery, accused falsely of sexual abuse, and forgotten in a prison cell, and God may be preparing you to rule a nation. (Genesis 37–50)

• You may wonder why a loved one is left in unbelief so long, and find that God is preparing a picture of his patience and a powerful missionary. (Galatians 1:15; 1 Timothy 1:12–16)

• You may live in all purity and humility and truth only to end rejected and killed, and God may be making a parable of his Son and an extension of his merciful sufferings in yours. (Isaiah 53:3; Mark 8:31; Colossians 1:24)

• You may walk through famine, be driven from your homeland, lose husband and sons, and be left desolate with one foreign daughter-in-law, and God may be making you an ancestor of a King. (Ruth 1–4)

• You may find the best counselor you’ve ever known giving foolish advice, and God may be preparing the destruction of your enemy. (2 Samuel 17:14)

• You may be a sexually pure single person and yet accused of immorality, and God may be preparing you as a virgin blessing in ways no one can dream. (Luke 1:35)

• You may not be able to sleep and look in a random book, and God may be preparing to shame your arrogant enemy and rescue a condemned people. (Esther 6:1–13)

• You may be shamed and hurt, and God may be confirming your standing as his child and purifying you for the highest inheritance. (Hebrews 12:5–11)

There are three granite foundation stones under this confidence for 2013: God’s love. God’s sovereignty. God’s wisdom.

“There is no power in the universe that can stop God from fulfilling his totally good plans for you.”TweetShare on Facebook

Love: In the death of Christ on our behalf, God has totally removed his wrath from us (Romans 8:3; Galatians 3:13). Now there is not only no condemnation (Romans 8:1), but now God is only merciful (Romans 8:32). Even his discipline is all mercy.

Sovereignty: There is no power in the universe that can stop him from fulfilling his totally good plans for you. “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).

Wisdom: God’s infinite wisdom always sees a way to bring the greatest good out of the most painful and complex situations. “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” (Romans 11:33).

Therefore, no matter what you face this year, God will be doing 10,000 things in your life that you cannot see. Trust him. Love him. And they will all be good for you.

John Piper (@JohnPiper) is founder and teacher of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is author of more than 50 books, including Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist and most recently Why I Love the Apostle Paul: 30 Reasons.

How to Follow God Without a Pillar of Fire

Aimee Joseph

I’d love to grab some manna with Moses. I’d love to pick his humble brain about the weight of leadership, to glean from the rich truths God taught him during those long middle years as he waited in Midian. But, most of all, I’d love to ask him about his experiences of God’s guidance.

As someone who spends many hours processing the mysteries and profundities of God’s will with young adults, and as someone who continues to wonder what I will be “when I grow up,” God’s guidance remains on the forefront of my heart and mind.

Guidance Before Christ’s Coming

Moses knew God’s guidance up close and personal. Really personal. Like, burning-bush-in-your-face and pillar-of-fire-ahead-of-you close.

There wasn’t much doubt how God was leading Moses. He spoke to him after arresting his attention with a strangely burning bush. God sent him to Egypt, with step-by-step instructions, to be an instrument of rescue for God’s enslaved people (Ex. 3–4). God’s calling may not have been easy, but it was pretty clear.

After the miraculous Red Sea crossing, God continued to move ahead of his people in a miraculous and clear way:

And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them, and by night a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people. (Ex. 13:21–22)

When wandering to the next encampment by day in the scorching desert sun, God provided a directing cloud to shade and to steer. In the frigid temperatures of dark desert nights, God provided a fire to warm and direct their wandering. Israel’s extremity became God’s opportunity to care for them.

Guidance Since Christ’s Coming

Of course, the cloud and fire were never meant to be permanent. God’s means of guidance to his people before Christ was always provisional and temporary; from before the beginning he knew his ultimate and lasting plan. And on the other side of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, we have even more sure guidance.

During the feast of Pentecost, Christ’s disciples experienced something that probably reminded them of Moses and the wilderness generation: wind and fire.

And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. (Acts 2:2–3)

The disciples—and all God’s people who come after them—have been given something far better than writing in the clouds or pillars of smoke and fire. In fact, we don’t have a something at all; we have a someone called the Holy Spirit. Rather than directing our steps from outside, he has chosen to live within us.

While Moses had been led by God through pillars of cloud and fire, we on the other side of Christ’s incarnation have something even better: the indwelling Spirit to guide us.

Guidance for Today

I regularly sit down with college seniors or recent graduates to talk about the will of God and to help them discern next steps. Eventually these conversations lead to a similar sticking point. In earnestness, the friend will say, “I just wish God would write it in the sky or give me a map,” or “If only I could have this conversation with Jesus himself.”

I love getting to share with them the exciting and freeing news that we don’t have to wonder what our destination is. It may feel like we’re wandering aimlessly in the wilderness, but God’s crystal-clear will is that we be conformed to the image of his Son. As Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica, “This is the will of God: your sanctification” (1 Thess. 4:3).

The destination is clear.

While this does not directly answer the burning questions of which job to take, which person to marry, or which church to attend, it does lift the veil of confusion that stems from a wrong view of God’s will. The revealed will of God is clearly displayed in his Word illumined by his Spirit.

With God’s indwelling Spirit to illumine his Word, we can wisely process the decisions of our lives. We also rely on the wisdom of others—particularly in our church—who also have the Spirit and know his Word. In this way, making decisions can become a sweet process, rather than a frustrating headache, that draws us closer to the Father’s heart.

Now that I think about it, perhaps Moses is looking forward to hearing from you and me. Maybe in heaven our spiritual forefathers and foremothers, who experienced God’s guidance before Christ’s coming, will want to hear stories of his faithfulness in guiding us by his Spirit. All the way home.

Posted at: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/follow-god-without-pillar-fire/

God’s Will Is Not Like Siri

Will Anderson

A friend smiled across the dinner table. “So, you’re moving to another state? Exciting! How did God reveal his will to you?”

My wife and I glanced at each other knowingly, scrambling to answer honestly without making our friend feel awkward. As far as we knew God hadn’t said anything about our move. No specific direction, no goosebumps in prayer, no timely Bible verses about sojourning to a far-off land.   

We had done our best to honor God in this move—praying together, seeking advice from friends and mentors, planning and saving for years. Yet whenever the topic came up, what people really wanted to know was how God spoke to us to reveal his will. 

People seemed to assume God always provides tangible, individualized counsel for life’s big decisions. Admittedly, the thought of receiving a custom message from the Lord, transmitted just for the Andersons, is exciting. And I don’t dismiss that longing, given the glorious hope of communicating with God face to face in ways unimaginable now (Matt. 5:8; 1 Cor. 13:12; Rev. 22:3–4). 

Maybe you’ve been there too, facing a significant decision and wondering how to discern what God wants you to do. Life’s weighty decisions—where to attend college, whom to marry, whether to take that job—make us crave divine direction. But is it realistic, or biblical, to expect an audible “go for it” (or tangible equivalent) from God before making every major decision? 

What Do We Mean By ‘God’s Will’?

Clear language matters. Unfortunately the way we define the will of God is often quite unclear in the church. Kevin DeYoung explains the confusion:

The “will of God” is one of the most confusing phrases in the Christian vocabulary. Sometimes we speak of all things happening according to God’s will. Other times we talk about being obedient and doing the will of God. And still other times we talk about finding the will of God.

Let’s turn briefly to Scripture for clarity. Theologians commonly speak of two aspects of God’s will: his will of decree and his will of desire (often called God’s secret and revealed will, respectively).  

1. God’s (Secret) Will of Decree

God’s will of decree means he sovereignly ordains all things. He totally controls the goings-on of the world. This soaring truth is seen in passages like Ephesians 1:11: “In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.”

Nothing can hinder God’s plans. History, as well as our individual lives, are moving toward the destination God intends. This is good news because God’s heart for us, and the world, is to redeem, purify, and make whole (Rev. 21:1–5).

2. God’s (Revealed) Will of Desire

God’s will of desire refers to his biblical commands: how he wants us to live. As moderns we tend to resist imperatives, but for believers they’re the gift of a good Father who lights our path rather than leaving us to stumble blindly (Ps. 119:105).

Jesus masterfully summarizes the will of the Father in two clear commands: love God and love neighbor (Matt. 22:37–40). If you’re looking for get-to-the-point theology about God’s will, there it is.

God’s will of desire means we know what he expects of us. Instead of grasping for an individualized plan for our lives, Scripture universalizes his will for all believers: everything boils down to loving God and neighbor. 

Love God and love neighbor. If you’re looking for get-to-the-point theology about God’s will, there it is.

God’s Will of Direction

Still, some wonder if God reveals his will for everyday decisions not directly addressed in Scripture. In addition to his will of decree and desire, people seek his will of direction. 

You’re at a fork in the road, poised between option A and B. Which way, Lord, should I go? 

The issue isn’t in the question; we should seek God for wisdom (James 1:5). The problem is how we expect God to answer. The popular conception is that God, through some obvious means, will answer us. Perhaps it’s option A vanishing, or a feeling we get in prayer, or a Bible verse that seems to nudge us in one direction, or . . . fill in the blank.

But what if much of the time God simply invites us to choose? What if option A or B fall equally within his will, in ways we can’t explain or comprehend? What if, instead of option A versus option B, God is actually interested in how we walk the road, not which road we take?

Again, DeYoung is helpful:

God is not a Magic 8-Ball we shake up and peer into whenever we have a decision to make. He is a good God who gives us brains, shows us the way of obedience, and invites us to take risks for him. We know God has a plan for our lives. That’s wonderful. The problem is we think he’s going to tell us the wonderful plan before it unfolds. We feel like we can know—and need to know—what God wants every step of the way. But such preoccupation with finding God’s will, as well-intentioned as the desire may be, is more folly than freedom.

Along those lines, a friend once shared this principle in a sermon: “God’s will is a compass, not a road map.” 

We’re often preoccupied with the destination—where God wants to take us. But maybe he’s most interested in who he’s shaping along the way. The point is not to disparage well-meaning Christians from wholeheartedly seeking God’s will for their lives. It’s just that . . . maybe he’s already told us! 

God’s will is a compass, not a road map.

Unsustainable Expectation

For too long faithful saints have been told that God’s will, like a divine Siri, will call out step-by-step directions at every juncture. When God doesn’t direct in this way, a plethora of false narratives about him are born. In the perceived silence, some contrive answers, putting words in God’s mouth. Some feel abandoned by God, like he’s left them in a lurch. Others feel guilt, assuming God is being dismissive because they lack faith or have sinned in some unforgivable way. And still others become paralyzed, frozen in indecision until the desired answer comes, if it ever does. 

Ultimately, the expectation for God to reveal every decision for us is unsustainable. There’s a better way.  

Freedom of God’s Will

It’s been about six months since my wife and I moved; and, for multiple reasons, we’ve now moved back home. Here’s the new question we’re getting these days: “So, do you regret moving away in the first place?” 

Our answer is a resounding no. Moving out of state wasn’t a step out of God’s will. Things didn’t turn out how we thought they might, but the beauty of God’s will is that returning to square one isn’t a bad thing. God’s resets are progress, even when they shatter our paradigms of advancement and success. 

God’s resets are progress, even when they shatter our paradigms of advancement and success.

What was God’s will for us in this move? I don’t fully know, but what I can say confidently is that my wife and I have drawn closer to Jesus in these past six months. We’ve stared into the gaping holes in our faith, asked for forgiveness, and tried to learn how to fulfill Jesus’s words to love him and neighbor with everything we have. We know that, regardless of which city we’re in, this is his will for us. 

Do you see the freedom in this view?

Since God’s sovereign hand can’t be thwarted, ditch your fear of wandering irrevocably off the path of his will. Stop fretting that you’ve rabbit-trailed beyond the bounds of providence. Plan, obey biblical principles, seek the counsel of others, bathe it in prayer, then make a decision! Don’t worry if God isn’t calling out turn-by-turn directions along the way. Just love him with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength—that’s your true north.

Will Anderson (MA, Talbot School of Theology) is a pastor at Mariners Church in Irvine, California.

Posted at: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/gods-will-not-like-siri/

How To Find and Achieve Your Purpose

Logan Murphy

Graduation is a happy occasion, an important moment in life, and a big achievement. But, it is also a crucial juncture in life. When I was asked to speak at a baccalaureate service for local high school graduates, my message, quoting John Piper, was simple: 

Don’t waste it. Don’t waste your life! 

This message is important for us all. I’m sure, however, that wasting your life is not at the top of your to-do list. If you are wasting your life, you probably don’t mean to be! 

You might be wondering then—am I wasting my life? How do I know? Well, in order for something to be wasted it must be spent in such a way that it does not accomplish its intended purpose. 

Your life does have a purpose. And if you don’t want to waste your life, you need to know what your life is meant for.  

Where to Find Your Purpose 

The Bible, as God’s word spoken to you, is the place to turn to find your purpose. And I’ll make it even simpler: you can find your purpose in one short verse. 1 Corinthians 8:6 says:

For us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.  

We are made by God, and we are made for God. That’s the answer. You exist for God. Your purpose is to spend your life for God, with Jesus at the center of everything you are and do. Unfortunately, there are two ways you can fail to do this. 

Two Ways to Miss Your Purpose 

Way 1: Spend Your Life on Nothing (No God) 

I met Chris in 6th grade, and we were friends through high school and even through college. In high school and his early college years, Chris was bright, fun, creative, artistic, and well connected. But later in college, Chris became aimless, isolated, and joyless; one of the last times I talked with him he was stuck in a dead-end job that was not related to any of his talents, education, or his passions. 

Over the course of our friendship, we had a few spiritual conversations. Chris was involved in youth band at church, he went on Christian retreats, and once when we were camping he told me that he believed in some higher force or the possibility of a god, but it was clear that Chris had no faith in Jesus Christ. 

Chris’s problem was that he hadn’t come to terms with 1 Corinthians 8:5-6. He didn’t know what he existed for, or rather who he existed for. He had no passion for something greater than himself. No vision past the present. 

Maybe this describes you, too. A missing purpose, fading passion, a lack of commitment to Christ. Reader, find that passion by spending your life—and spend it for the sake of Christ! Spending it for something else leads up to the second way to miss your purpose: 

Way 2: Spend Your Life on The Wrong Things (False gods) 

If the first way to miss your purpose is to drift aimlessly with no target, no goal, no purpose, no intentionality, the second way is to be motivated, driven, passionate, and laser-focused on entirely the wrong goals. You can achieve all the wrong goals.  

You can attain the American dream, you can climb the corporate ladder, but Jesus tells us that to spend yourself for this is foolishness.  

In a brief parable, he tells us about a rich man who had so much stuff he had to build even larger barns to put it all in. He was fat and happy. Living large. But God calls this man a fool because he can’t take these riches with him when he dies. What’s more, all the wealth in the world wouldn’t prepare this man to meet God, because he spent his life serving himself. 

Money will be spent, beauty will fade, power will be limited, fame will be forgotten, and entertainment and pleasure-seeking will fail to provide the joy that you long for in life. Don’t miss your purpose in life by spending it on the wrong things!

The Way to Achieve Your Purpose

The good news is that your life has real meaning and purpose, and you’ll find it in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus, God the Son, died in the prime of his life – only 33 years old – never having sinned: not one impure thought, not one hateful word, not one white lie. A life perfectly dedicated to God.

That is a valuable life. A meaningful life. And the Bible says that Jesus laid down his own life for you and me. He sacrificed his perfect, meaningful life so that it could be applied to our imperfect and (seemingly) purposeless lives if we believe in him.  

This is what we call the gospel – the good news of Jesus. Jesus spent his life for you so that you could spend your life for him. When you trust Jesus to save you from your sins he will do so, and he will give you a new life with incredible purpose and meaning. And there is great freedom to be found in this good news.  

The measure of your life lies not in what you accomplish, or how much wealth you have accumulated, but in what Christ has accomplished, and in the riches of God’s grace. You can exist for God, through Jesus, whether you are mopping floors or marketing pharmaceuticals. In fact, the world needs both floor moppers and pharmaceutical marketers who will spend their lives to display the glory of God in Jesus Christ. 

So, how will you spend your life? I pray you will spend it for Jesus. 

Posted at: https://unlockingthebible.org/2019/05/how-find-purpose-life/

Your Calling and God's Will

Article by Camron Hyde

There are times I can remember in life where I’ve put intense pressure on myself to know God’s will for my life. One of those instances was trying to discern whether I was called to ministry. I spent a lot of time listening to sermons on calling, praying, and talking to other people who were called to ministry. Trying to figure it out felt a little stressful if I’m honest.

The most stressful decision I can remember having to make was after college. I had applied to be a Journeyman with the IMB and had also applied to seminary. The Journeyman program was delayed when I initially applied, which led me to applying to seminary. I was working a job I hated and was looking to take a next step toward what I believed God had for my future.

I ended up getting accepted to both on the same day and I had no idea what to do. Both seemed like good, holy options, but I was convinced that God had a certain one planned for me and I had to figure it out. I wish I knew what I’m about to share with you because at one point I closed the door to the office I was working in and sat on the floor crying because I could not discern what God’s will was for me. I did not want to make the wrong choice for my life and I definitely wanted to follow God’s plan.

Finding God’s Will

I think that’s the case for every true follower of Jesus. We want to know God’s will. We want to follow His plan. We want things to go well for us. We want favor and want to operate in the best possible circumstances. Maybe that’s why trying to discern a calling and following God’s will can really stress us out. We certainly don’t want to screw up our lives.

So how do we figure this out? This may disappoint you because it’s so simple. We read our Bibles, pray, and make a decision. We don’t have to worry, stress, or fret. God has made His will known in His Word. It is the primary way He speaks to us today. If what we decide to do doesn’t go against anything God has commanded for us as Christians then we are free to do that thing. We certainly want to pray about it and seek wisdom from others as well, but we really can feel free to make a decision.

When I was trying to choose between missions and seminary, I stressed a lot about nothing. Looking back, I could have easily done either and it would have been fine. I could have saved a lot of time and energy by just choosing the one I thought was best for the next step in my life (which is what I ended up doing anyway).

Major Decisions

I think we can really worry about this when it comes to major choices such as college, career, marriage, kids, moving, etc. Questions you can start with are, “What passions did God place in me?” and “How can I use those for His glory?” A very important question is, “Does this decision have any implications that will cause me to disobey what God commands?” If all of those things line up then you can feel free to make that decision.

There’s also wise counsel to be sought with all of these questions. God can speak to us by using other believers who love us to speak into our lives and decisions. Even being called into vocational ministry can have a lot of these questions attached. Usually others will see something in you and will affirm what they see. Also there can be a sense of aspiration for the position. Paul makes this clear when he says, “The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task” (1 Timothy 3:1). Certainly, when it comes to ministry, one may have that sense of “not being happy doing anything else,” but having a desire to be in ministry should be a consideration as well.

I think it is fair to give a little weight to feelings or impressions, but I don’t think we should give them the same weight we give to Scripture and wise counsel of others. God may impress upon us to do something, but our hearts can be deceitful. We should test that impression with Scripture and seek the wise counsel of our pastors and other mature believers.

Conclusion

God wants you to serve Him, glorify Him, and treasure Him. Jesus made it as simple—and complex—as “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Believe it or not, God has given you a lot of freedom in how you choose to do those two things.

If this is a topic you’re interested in, let me recommend Just Do Something by Kevin DeYoung, which you can pick up on Amazon.

Posted at: https://camlhyde.com/blog/2019/3/7/your-calling-and-gods-will

THANKING GOD FOR EVERYTHING

Article by Lore Ferguson Wilbert

Nestled among a long list of exhortations and blessings in 1 Thessalonians is a line we’ll see in plenty this month. Distressed on barn wood at your local craft store, printed on banners hung in the dining room, embossed on the ceramic plate the turkey is served on, and rife in sermons everywhere, “Give thanks in everything,” is the rally cry of November. But, like Aunt Jane’s consistently overcooked turkey, the truncated statement can also leave a dry taste in our mouths.

Gratitude will be on the rise for the next two months, followed by a sharp decline on January first when we resolve to change all the things our mere gratitude couldn’t change: love-handles, schedules, relationships, the project we’ve been putting off. There’s nothing like a full serving of gratitude to show us just how many things exist for which we’re still not thankful. We will give thanks for everything except all the things for which we’re still bent on changing.

“For what is God’s will for me? This.“

I have a stack on my desk of books to read and review, menu-plans to make, a driver’s license to renew, and a book contract to fulfill within the first month of 2019. As grateful as I am for a job I love, the freedom to eat and cook whole, healthy food, and a license to drive, I’m decidedly unthankful for the work they all will require of me. I can trick myself into being grateful, topping my cake of grumbling with the frosting of thanksgiving, but it’s still a dismal cake beneath. I need the words with which Paul follows up his exhortation: “For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

For what is God’s will for me? This.

This everything. This messy desk, these deadlines, this schedule I can’t wrangle into submission, this monotonous line in which I’ll stand to get an unflattering photo of me laminated onto a card I’ll carry for the next eight years. All of this is God’s will for me. And not only this, that which I can see directly in front of me, but all that I can’t see either. The unfulfilled longings for children we’ve been unable to have, the suburbs in which we feel landlocked and stifled, the community of friends in which there are struggles to connect and experiences of conflict, the unrealized hopes and smothered dreams—these too are the will of God for me in Christ Jesus.

If we are only ever grateful for that which we enjoy or love or can see the eternal good in, we aren’t really thankful. We’re merely counting our blessings. True gratefulness means seeing and trusting and believing entirely that what comes our way is God’s good and best will for us. It means trusting—really trusting—that if we don’t have a thing we desire, we aren’t intended to have it today. It doesn’t mean we can’t still long for it, hope for it, and ask our Father for it (and we should), but it does mean the troubles we face today are sufficient for today. And the manna we’ve been given today is enough for the day.

This holiday season, I want to make a practice of thanking God for everything—even the really, really difficult things. Not because I’m a super-Christian, but because in Christ Jesus, and by the grace of God, everything right now is the will of God for me.

ABOUT LORE FERGUSON WILBERT

Lore Ferguson Wilbert is a writer, thinker, and learner. She blogs at Sayable.net, tweets and instagrams at @lorewilbert. She is a member at The Village Church in Texas and the wife of a man named Nate.

Posted at: https://lifewayvoices.com/culture-current-events/thanking-god-for-everything/