I will! How many
times have we heard those words in response to a request we make? Typically, the “I will” comes with a bit of a
‘tone,’ including an elevated pitch and possibly an eye roll. Have you been on the receiving end of an “I
will” such as that? Does not usually
feel great. In response, I am either
annoyed or I realize I may have overstepped, and I have remorse. Either way, the sender and the receiver in
this conversation is not saying “Yippee – that went great”!
I was reflecting upon that phrase recently when it made me
think of God’s will, God’s work, and God’s way.
The will of God, what God wants to happen in heaven and on earth. I can only imagine what He must think when He
looks at me and the will He has for me – and how I have not always
delivered His will. Right in the Lord’s
Prayer it talks about Thy Will be Done.
I do not always do God’s will.
Have I always given of my time when He has nudged me to do so? Do I follow my OWN will versus God’s
will? Do my actions reflect responding
as God would want? I am sure you know
the answer to those questions! God has a
will for my life – he as a will for all of our lives. He knows what He wants to happen with us here
on earth. We need to open our hearts to
accept HIS will!
Once we have done so, what works has He put in His will that
I need to consider? God leaves so much
in our hands. Often, we do not leave
what we should in God’s hands. When He
provides us His will, He also provides us an opportunity to live out His will
with works. In Philippians 2:13, it is written “…for it
is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Our works and how we live out God’s will is a
gift from God. God is pleased when
we do His work for His will. It
is important for us to realize that when we look at God’s work as ‘one more
thing to do.’ When we look upon God’s
work as a chance to serve Him, our hearts will rejoice versus be hardened.
So, we have God’s will, and we have God’s work. The missing link to all of this is ensuring
we do this in God’s way. God has a way
for us to live our lives, to do His will and His work. Give to the church, but don’t steal in order
to give it. Work at the church when it
is needed, but do not forget to honor your mother/father when they need your
help. We can do much work in the name of
God, but if do not do it in the way God wants us to, we have not given glory to
our Lord. It is important for us to consider
this when we do God’s work in His way. God
is pleased when we do His work for His will in His way! When we can thread all three of these
together, I honestly believe God will be smiling down upon us and He will be
proud of us.
Friends, think about the will God has for you, the work He
has given you and the way He wants you to complete that work. It will not always be easy; in fact, I can guarantee
it will be difficult. In the end, God
will smile upon you and the simple faith that you displayed in His goodness
will warm your soul.
Heavenly Father, please help us to seek your will,
your works in your way. May we give all
we have by walking in your light. In
your name we pray, Amen!
