The Two-Fold Answer
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17) (Emphasis mine.)
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test & approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing & perfect will.” (Romans 12:2) (Emphasis mine.)
So, what is God’s will? That’s what I would like to talk about today & it’s a two-fold answer.
First: God’s Law Is Perfect
On one hand, you have the more obvious answer of how to know what God’s perfect will is, & that is His Word… His law.
Now, I have talked about this many times, but the word “law” should not evoke feelings of recoil or indignation, but, as shown all throughout the longest chapter in the Bible—Psalm 119, God’s law is so beautiful & wonderful & something to be highly treasured & valued!
You may be thinking as I did through the many times of running across the many verses of Psalm 119—“People can’t actually ENJOY & TREASURE God’s law… Because laws are constricting & limiting. The writers of these psalms are just saying what they think He wants to hear because it makes them look ‘spiritual’.”
I get that, if that’s you… I totally get that because that was me for most of my life.
But, as I get to know & love God more… the more I seek after Him… the more I am proven completely wrong on that front. God’s laws ARE amazing.
As 2 Timothy 3:16 puts it, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, & is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness….” Or, as many a pastor has put it, “the Bible is good for knowing what is right, what is wrong, how to get right, & how to stay right.”
God’s Law Is Perfect in Knowledge, Understanding, Wisdom, & LOVE
Why? Because God literally knows EVERYTHING & has PERFECT understanding…. AND He made sure we had that information available to us.
What a wonderful, loving God indeed!
And so, knowing everything, understanding everything perfectly, AND making sure we have that information available to us… it only stands to reason that HIS WILL stems primarily from HIS WORD.
To KNOW His perfect will, we need to get to know God’s Word—that’s where reading & meditating on & studying His Word comes in as SO IMPORTANT, nay, even the MOST important way we can spend our time.
And the most VALUABLE way we can spend our time on earth.
Knowing Is Not Enough
But KNOWING is not enough.
Now, before the recoil comes bubbling up again as it would have once done to me… this is NOT a guilt trip post. This is NOT a post to say “YOU’RE NOT DOING ENOUGH, WOMAN!”
NO.
This is to say that just knowing is not going to do very much good at all. Just like faith (in God) holds little value unless we ACT on what we claim to believe & live it out. It’s like knowing the cure & not taking it.
As my earlier post pointed out, if you want to grow in your faith… you need to DO what God says aka OBEY His Word. (Check out that post, here: “Want to Trust God? Obey Him.”)
James 1:22-25 has something to say about this, too. That knowing without doing is like a man (or woman) who looks in the mirror & then immediately forgets what they look like… aka it’s worthless, pointless, & doesn’t do you any good. It’s wasted.
Second: Letting God Be in Charge of You
And here’s where the two-fold part comes in… we can have book-knowledge of God’s perfect will, through His Word… BUT, we also need to ABIDE.
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain [abide] in Me & I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing,” is what Jesus tells us in John 15:5.
God tells us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:16-18) & to be as branches on Him as the vine for a reason… we NEED to constantly be drawing FROM HIM.
ABIDE in Him.
We need to get used to telling Him everything, asking Him for every need, turning to Him in every situation, & drawing from Him for all things big & small.
And the more we learn to ABIDE IN HIM, the more we will know His good & perfect will for EACH MOMENT.–Not just knowing His Word on a general basis of loving others, forgiving as God forgave us, praying for those who persecute us, etc….
… but help in knowing how to apply His Word at any given moment.
Let God Interrupt Your Plans
AND, being open to let God change your schedule to work out His plans… His good works that He has prepared in advance for you to do (Ephesians 2:10).
And how better to redeem our time, as Ephesians 5:15-17 tells us, than to offer our schedule to God & be willing to let Him change it according to His perfect will for that day?
God instructs us, in James 4:13-15, not to hold too tightly to our own plans, but to be willing to stay open to GOD’S PLANS.
Be willing to let Him have the reins of your day & to guide your hands & feet as you go about it.
To know God’s perfect will… to redeem the time for what has lasting value in this world… you need to be leaning into Him consistently & saying, “God, I have this planned for my day, but if someone needs You, help me to be sensitive to it…. If You have a good work set out for me today, help me to be willing to sidestep my schedule to be available for Your plan for today. Help me make myself available to You over my routines, habits, & plans. In Jesus’ name, I pray. AMEN.”
Because, only when you are willing to have God shake up your schedule & let Him work out His own perfect plans will you begin to see His good & perfect will fleshed out in your life.
Personal Example
I promise that letting God interrupt you is 100% always better than what you had planned.
In college, I was on the spiritual leadership team on our dorm (Go LU!) & there were many times where I had tests to study for or papers to finish or speeches to memorize… & then a young lady would knock on my door, asking for counsel, a listening ear, or prayer support.
I wish I could say I was immediately willing, but I have a hard time tossing my schedule to the wind, so every time I would stop & pray silently where only God & I knew & I would say, “God, I know she is more valuable to You than whatever grade I may get on this assignment, so if you want this to consume my time in place of my task, please give me peace, give me compassion, & help me love her on Your behalf. I trust You with the rest. Amen.”
And she & I would talk & she would share her woes & we would pray together. We would both leave the conversation refreshed, edified, & reminded of God’s goodness, power, & love.
And EVERY time, God would either give me the strength to study way past my old self felt capable (I went to college later in life & late nights were not a thing for me, haha)… or the test/paper/speech would be postponed… or the assignment would be easier than I was believing it would be & that extra study time would have been a wasted effort.
God always took care of the rest when I surrendered my schedule to His plans.
What Is the Perfect Will of God
So, what IS the perfect will of God?
To understand the answer to this, you have to learn to seek to 1—KNOW His Word, & 2—LEAN INTO HIM moment-by-moment.
Only then will you begin to redeem your time in a fulfilling way, the way God designed it to be.
Consistent in His Word, consistent in time talking with Him & made available to His lead for each day.
It’s not easy.
I go on auto-pilot… I set my plans & have a hard time with impromptu plans….
But, I want to be used by God. I want my time to mean more than getting through the week.
Shine Hope Through God’s Good & Perfect Will
God sees the hurting hearts. He sees you if you’re reading this with a broken heart. He knows our struggles & tears & hurts & trauma & fears….
But He also knows His plans for you. He knit you together in your mother’s womb. He understands your thoughts from afar off.
He sees EVERY individual even better than they see themselves. And He knows their needs on an intimate & deep level. AND He cares so SO much for them all.
So, be a vessel of hope. Because we may not see a need, but He does. He knows. And He knows how to help. All we have to do is be willing to trust His lead.
Redeem your time.
Don’t live as unwise, but as wise.
Understand what is the perfect will of God.
And be a light of HOPE for Him, through Him.
Shine Hope by knowing what is the perfect will of GOD.
Coming Next Week
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Silver Medallion Necklace (India)
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