Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.(Ephesians 5:17 – ESV)
The key to a spiritually productive life is being in the will of God. If we are not trying to live out God’s will we are being foolish. We need to discern and discover what God wants us to do, and this is not done by subjective feelings and impressions, it is done by diligent study and strong devotion. In order to know God’s will we have to know His Word (Romans 12:1-2).
His general will for all believers is first priority over and above any specific will He may have for our lives. That is the open and obvious fact. We need to be about the basics of the Christian life. God wants you to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18). He wants you to advance your faith by adding godly qualities. He wants you to serve others, witness to others, and be a contributing member in your local church community. He wants you to be about the business of prayer.
This takes time and commitment. You must make time for this before God elevates your personal priorities into the godly arena. You have enough time to do God’s will. If you don’t believe you have enough time to do God’s will, you are probably committing time to something God doesn’t want you to do, or you are omitting time from doing something God does want you to do. Perhaps you are doing the right thing but in the wrong way. It cannot be stressed enough that we are to live out God’s agenda, not try and get Him to sign onto ours.
1 Peter 5:8 tell us that Satan is seeking people to devour; one way he begins to devour you, your hopes, your dreams, your talent, your treasure, your testimony, your victory, is by devouring your time. Satan’s most effective lie is not “there is no heaven or hell” but “there is no hurry.” If you do not prioritize and make God’s Word and God’s work a vital part of your schedule, you will never do His will. Lesser things always become the enemy of the best thing. Charles Spurgeon said, “Discernment isn’t about knowing the difference between right and wrong but right and almost right”.
A lot of things won’t mean very much a million years from now, but what you did in the will of God for His glory will have eternal value. You need to have your values elevated to heavenly heights. To elevate God’s agenda is to be elevated in practice.
3 comments:
Going up?!
If you do not prioritize and make God’s Word and God’s work a vital part of your schedule, you will never do His will.
We hear and say often, "I just want to do/know God's will in this situation". If we take the time to consider how we prioritize, our answer is probably as clear as the nose on our face.
Indeed...
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