Read: Ephesians 5:1-10

How often do you wish God would just tell you what to do and how to do it?  We usually think that when we have a big decision to make or when we are seeking direction in our life.  Will we hear God’s voice? Will God’s Word speak to me? How will I know? While these questions are often fair or honest we sometimes forget about being in God’s will while trying to discern God’s will.  

Jen Wilken wrote about this in a recent Christianity Today article.  She wrote, “In our desire for certainty, we may become fixated on doing and become forgetful of being.”  That sounds a lot like our vision at AMC which encourages us to grow or “be” like Mary while also “serving” like Martha.  In her article Jen goes on to share the things that God makes clear to us about “being” when seeking his will.

She writes, “God does have a will for our lives that is clearly stated; that we be sanctified, made holy, conformed to the image of Christ (1 Thess. 4:3; Eph. 5:1).  You will never have to lay out a fleece to know for certain that it is God’s will that you live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age (Titus 2:12).  You will never have to fast to be 100 percent certain that it is God’s will that you be free from selfish ambition and vain conceit (Phil. 2:3)”

She continues, “You will never have to look for handwriting on the wall to know beyond a doubt that it is God’s will that you set aside impurity and greed (Eph. 5:3).  You will never have to wait for confirmation from a friend or spouse that it is God’s will that you be slow to anger (James 1:19). You will never have to listen for a still, small voice to know without reservation that it is God’s will that you practice thankfulness (Eph. 5:4).  You will never have to search the sky for a message in the clouds to know without a doubt that it is God’s will that you be holy and blameless (Eph. 1:4). God has indeed spoken to us with clarity through his Word.”

If you have a big decision to make or you are discerning God’s will and direction on something, perhaps these are places to start.  When our life is being lived within God’s will, our life decisions will flow naturally out of our relationship with the creator. As Jen ends here article she writes, “We are called to be transformed. We seek first the Kingdom and his righteousness, trusting our circumstances to his sovereign care and submitting our character to his gracious will.”

Make it Personal:  Take time to look up the verses listed in Jen’s article and allow God’s Word to lead, guide, and direct you in the days ahead.  Allow Ephesians 5:1-10 to show you the way and as verse 10 says, “find out what pleases the Lord.”

Have a blessed week, Pastor Glen Rhodes