Dec. 1, 2016: Thursday of the 1st Week of Advent
Dec. 1, 2016: Thursday of the 1st Week of Advent
Jesus told us plainly that if we do God’s will, we will enter heaven. Seems pretty simple, right? We hear it again and again in scripture and that repetition indicates its importance. Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed,” or Romans 8:27, “And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
So why is this so difficult to do? It has been my experience that the one person most difficult to convince is usually myself. I start out wanting to do the right thing—to please God. I want to trust him and know that what he has in store for me is far greater than I could do for myself. I want to believe that when I ask to hear from him, he will answer me. But then I get restless. My expectations are for God to answer me on my terms, my timeline, and in line with my desires. When he doesn’t, then I choose my way because that is what I ultimately wanted anyways and it usually comes with some immediate (albeit temporary) satisfaction. That is not what Jesus had in mind when he shared his wisdom. Doing the will of the Father is not always in line with our will. Following his will means being open to his direction, to wait patiently for his response, and to accept with a thankful heart the path he puts us on. Be thankful that we have a God who cares enough to intercede so that we can experience a life of abundant blessings.
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Archive/2014/120414.html
Jesus told us plainly that if we do God’s will, we will enter heaven. Seems pretty simple, right? We hear it again and again in scripture and that repetition indicates its importance. Proverbs 16:3 “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed,” or Romans 8:27, “And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
So why is this so difficult to do? It has been my experience that the one person most difficult to convince is usually myself. I start out wanting to do the right thing—to please God. I want to trust him and know that what he has in store for me is far greater than I could do for myself. I want to believe that when I ask to hear from him, he will answer me. But then I get restless. My expectations are for God to answer me on my terms, my timeline, and in line with my desires. When he doesn’t, then I choose my way because that is what I ultimately wanted anyways and it usually comes with some immediate (albeit temporary) satisfaction. That is not what Jesus had in mind when he shared his wisdom. Doing the will of the Father is not always in line with our will. Following his will means being open to his direction, to wait patiently for his response, and to accept with a thankful heart the path he puts us on. Be thankful that we have a God who cares enough to intercede so that we can experience a life of abundant blessings.
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Archive/2014/120414.html
