His Greatest Creation

Good morning,

We read in Genesis 1:26-27 that, after creating this world, the Three-in-One decided to create mankind, a being unlike any other created thing, living or inanimate.  Mankind was the crowning touch of God's creation, the grand finale, a unique, mysterious "likeness" of God.  The writer of Ecclesiastes 3:11 proclaims that He "set eternity in the human heart".

God's desire was not for angels to rule over the rest of His creation, Earth.  It was for man to rule and reign over this planet.  But, beyond that, we see in Revelation 4:11 mankind was created, indeed all things/beings were created, for His good pleasure.  We read about Adam and Eve and God walking together in the Garden of Eden, having a kind of fellowship that we, in our fallen world, cannot yet know.  This demonstrates that we were created for intimate fellowship with God, to commune with Him, spirit to Spirit.

Even as he created our kind, though, He in His sovereignty knew His heart's desire would be thwarted by Adam and Eve's free will.  He knew that man would become trapped by the snares of the enemy. He knew, all Three knew, what sacrifice would be required to restore this fallen, human creation.

So, the love story of Christmas did not begin with Jesse or with David.  It began the moment we were conceived in the matchless mind of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The writer of Ecclesiastes goes on to say (3:11b): "no one can fathom what God has done, from beginning to end."  He is beyond our human comprehension.

Ann asks what causes us to pause in wonder.  This.

My friend, as I write tonight, is giving birth to a baby boy.  What joy!  A new life begins, with all its hopes and dreams and promises.  Our joy at the birth of our children is slight, when compared to the love and joy that sprang in the heart of the Godhead and spawned our race, all those eons ago.

Still, what God would decide to create a race of beings who He knew, They KNEW, would break their hearts?  They knew that the Son would be required to "empty Himself, taking the form of a servant, and being born in the likeness of man" (Philippians 2:7).  And, if that weren't enough, because that was NOT enough to restore us, to pay the penalty for our sin, They knew that He would wear that cloak of flesh for 33 years, before submitting Himself to the most shameful of deaths.

All for love, of us, of me.  Incomprehensible, unimaginable love, divine love beyond all human understanding!

Thy Will Be Done

Good morning,

I woke up this morning, earlier than I should've, due to what is best described as a crazy dream, no doubt fueled by some degree of anxiety.  Then, that was it for sleep.  smh...

Yesterday afternoon I got to meet with a Christian sister, a member of our church, who is bilingual, for the purpose of setting two, newly-translated songs to their melodies.  The plan is to sing these two beautiful songs in Spanish, in Peru.  Our team leaves a week from today.  Just typing that makes my heart beat faster.

The problem is that I've got about 10 days worth of living to pack into about 6, at this point.  Unless I put in 18-hour days, full-tilt, it won't "all get done."

All of this is a great back-drop to today's devotional verse:

"Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven."

Matthew 6:10

Yesterday we looked at the preceding declaration:  "Thy kingdom come."  In doing so, we talked about the will of God, because it is His purpose, His will that His kingdom will come on this Earth.

But, what is God's will, and how do we, how CAN we, know it?
First of all, you must be God's child, a believer/disciple of Jesus Christ.  God does not reveal His will to unbelievers other than His revealed will recorded in His Word, for all people.

Frankly, most of the time, even we, Christ-followers, don't even ask to know God's will.  What we do instead is furtively, frantically go through life like a hamster on it's exercise wheel, hoping we are making the right choices, sometimes not feeling like we are "getting anywhere".  By acting as the captain of our own ship, by exerting our own will in any given situation, we often find ourselves floundering.  Christian, go read Romans 12:1-8.  So much of our Lord's will for us is revealed in those 8 short verses.  Hallelujah!

1.  The Bible is our most certain, dependable source for determining God's will.  It is right there in front of us.  You can be sure that God's will will never contradict what He reveals in Scripture. Here's an example:  "God is leading me to divorce my husband because I'm not attracted to him anymore."   Well, that is most certainly NOT God's will.  Such an attitude/belief is repudiated in scripture!  The same goes for taking God's word out of it's intended context and twisting it for our own purposes. That's not God's will; it's our desire to justify our own sinful behavior.

2.  God reveals His will to us, His children, through prayer.  This is the second source for finding God's will.  His desires are revealed through our relationship with Him.  Often, this is called "walking by faith".  If you want to know God's will about a specific situation, and the Scriptures do not specifically address that, first look to any related, guiding principles revealed in the Bible.  Then, ask God to reveal His specific will to you.  If we first pray, "thy will be done" in an attitude of true submission, He will reveal His will to us.  Exercise your faith!  God wants to take you beyond what you believe to be your "capacity".  He wants to "grow" your faith in Him.  You'll may never "feel" entirely certain about your interpretation of His will, or you would not be walking by faith.
ACT on what you believe His revealed will to be.  My pastor, who grew up on the ocean, likes to put it like this:  "it is easier to steer a vessel that is moving."

3.  Look for confirmation from trusted Christian advisors.  Make sure not to seek counsel from those who are carnal - - not living their lives in accordance with God's word, not seeking God's will in their own lives.  God's Spirit will speak to other godly men or women who can advise you/confirm God's message to you.  Sometimes this confirmation does not come "in person", "face-to-face"; it sometimes comes in the form of books that spiritual giants of the past have been led of the Holy Spirit to write.

Watch out for these pitfalls/mistakes!
1.  Be obedient to what you already know.  God reveals His will to you increasingly, based on your obedience.  If you are walking in disobedience, turn that around (confess, repent, obey).
2.  Don't look to your "feelings" to confirm God's will.  Often our feelings are extremely deceptive.  One of my college profs used to say this:  "Right actions follow right decisions, and right feelings follow right actions."  (Dr. Walter Fremont)
3.  "If I want to do it, it can't be God's will."  (This wrong attitude is the complete opposite of #4 below.)  Look, God gives us talents and spiritual gifts.  He delights in us using them for the furtherance of His kingdom. ("Thy kingdom come!") Yes, we must be on guard to prevent sinful pride from creeping in.  But, God created you with certain abilities; use them joyfully for His glory!
4.  "If it is difficult, it can't possibly be God's will."  Well, no....God frequently asks us to do difficult things.  Look at church history, at the "giants" of the faith.  Were their paths easy?  Almost without exception the answer is "no".  God loves to be "the God of the impossible".  :)
5.  Don't be afraid of God's will.  Sometimes, we get the crazy idea that God does not want what's best for us.  But, He always does, even if it seems doubtful at times.  Revelation 4:11 - - -

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

It takes a great deal of courage to embrace God's will when doing so is "scary", to say to Him "whatever You want".  But, just remember 1 Thessalonians 5:24 - - -

"Faithful is he that calls you, who also will do it."  

Who will perform it?  He will.  It can actually bring relief when we come to a place of such total surrender, remembering that our omnipotent, loving Father will never fail us.

Again, the most important thing is for us to bring our will in line with His.  If this is our starting point, praying this simple prayer in submission and reverence, discovering God's will for a specific situation will be much easier.

Father, I thank You for not letting me have my own way all the time.  I am grateful for free will, yet terrified of it too.  Surely, I have no idea how many times you have rescued me from my own foolish desires.  Thank you SO much!  Empower me to choose well, to use my resources wisely in the furtherance of Your kingdom.  I know that the best place to be is in the center of Your will.  I earnestly desire my will to be engulfed by Yours.  May Your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. In Jesus' name, amen.

Sources:
Dr. George F. Anderson, sermon, 1/2014
Prince, Derek. Secrets of a Prayer Warrior. Grand Rapids: Chosen, 2009. Print.