How to Know God's Will for Us...
Can You Know God's Plan for Your Life?
It's an age-old question. "What is the purpose of life?" Or, maybe you've seen it worded as, "Does my life have any meaning?" Many of us want to know "What is God's plan for my life?"
To those, we can add: "Why are we here? Where are we going? How do we get there? Does it all really matter, anyway?"
The truth is, God's Word gives us the answers to all of these important questions. And, when we know the answers, every aspect of our life takes on a new, more hopeful perspective.
Some people think that the Bible is just a rule book for living. True, it does give ample examples and instructions on how the Creator designed us best to live--but, it is so much more than that!
The Bible is God's story of how He created humans to be in a relationship with Him, how man fell into temptation and sin causing that relationship to be broken, and how God provided a way for us to be saved and our relationship with Him to be restored.
A perfect, holy God cannot be in the presence of sin, so He provided His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to be the ultimate Lamb Sacrifice who paid for that sin. When we place our faith in Him alone to save us, His blood cleanses us and purifies us so we can then approach God again and be with Him forever. (See 1 John 1:7 and Hebrews 4:15-16.) Our relationship with our Creator is then restored, and our life has new meaning and purpose!
But what does that mean about God's will for me?
Let's dive in and look more closely at what is God's plan for my life:
God's ultimate purpose for us is to save us by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ and to enjoy a restored relationship with Him now and for eternity. He does this because He loves us, and He wants us to love Him in return. Without His mercy, love, and grace, we would have no hope for this life or the next.
All He asks is that we repent (turn from our old sinful desires and turn our hearts toward God) and trust in Jesus Christ's perfect, finished work on the cross to save us rather than trusting our own efforts to try to merit God's favor.
Once we are saved, He gives us His Holy Spirit which empowers us to live according to His will. This process of sanctification is His way of helping us to become more like Jesus (and less like our old sinful selves). It is a process that continues until He brings us home with Him eternally and perfects us once and for all.
Spiritual Growth is a Process
Once we are saved, God's will for us is to grow in holiness as He makes us more like Jesus in a process called "sanctification".
The Holy Spirit changes us from the inside out so that we long to live for Him more than for ourselves. As we grow in faith, He gives us the grace to glorify Him in our thoughts, words, and actions.
Many of these things happen all together. God saves us because He loves us. He saves us so that we have a restored relationship with Him, and so that our lives glorify Him in all we do. This means that when we need to make decisions or choose what to do in life, God gives us freedom within these guidelines as we seek to glorify Him in all we do.
When we know why we are here, where we are going, and how we get there, our lives have purpose and meaning. We can face each day with an eternal perspective focused on God's glory and His will. Earthly cares and concerns no longer hold the power they once did, because we know this life is temporary. Only what is done by and for God will last forever.
Of course, this spiritual growth is a life-long process, and we will fail many times along the way. But, knowing He is with us, empowering us, and loving us makes all the difference. It's what makes life make sense. It's what gives us a reason to get out of bed each day and live for and in Him, even when life is hard.
So, what is God’s plan for my life and yours?
To save us
To sanctify us
To love us and enjoy a restored relationship with Him now and forever
To give Him glory
What could be a better purpose for living than to love and be loved by the One Who created us for Himself? This gives our lives significant meaning!
It also helps us to make decisions and choices within these parameters. God's Word gives us guidance for living, and the more time we spend in the Bible and prayer, the better we know God and can determine God's will for our life. He doesn't tell us specifically which choices to make, but knowing His plan for us makes it easier to determine which choice to make.
We can ask ourselves:
Does it obey and glorify God?
Does it use the talents and gifts He has given me?
Does it draw me closer to Him?
One more question we should consider when trying to determine God's will for our life is to ask: Does it help me share God's message of love and salvation with others? Before Jesus went back to heaven after His death and resurrection, He commissioned us to share the Gospel with everyone:
Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
That is God's will for our lives!
I hope this has been encouraging to you, and if you have any questions about how to receive God's grace and His free gift of salvation, please let me know!
Just email me at: heather@goodportionpromises.com
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