Thursday, February 28, 2013

02-28-13 Repentance and The Will

Ok, so I searched and searched for a verse or few from the Word of God that mentions anything about doing OUR will. I searched the NIV, NRSV, NKJ, Amplified and even The Message - Biblegateway.com is so user-friendly ;). You know what I found? NOTHING. At first, I was like, "God did I hear you right - because I can't find anything about doing our will in any Bible." He was like, "That's the point." OH.
Now, the various versions of the Bible do say a lot about doing the Will of God - but oddly enough, is strangely silent about the will of us. Think about this: What is our will in regards to sin? Isn't it pride? Isn't it self-seeking? Isn't it all those 'I's' that we saw in Job yesterday? Isn't it all the 'I's' that brought lucifer down? Sorry for those English majors... I can't bring myself to give him any credit - even capitalizing his 'name'.
That song by Frank Sinatra.... My Way. REALLY?? How'd that work for you?? I know it hasn't worked in my life... no matter how I sliced it. Has it really worked in any of our lives?? There's a saying, My way or the highway. REALLY?? I'll take the 'High'way, thank you very much.
Our will says, "I'm ok" when we're not ok. Our will says, "I can do this by myself" when we really can't do by ourselves (and we'll likely find that out the hard way). Our will says, "I don't need God to heal me, where's that other self-help book?". Our will says.... blah, blah, blah.... oh yes, it's alive and doing very well without needing anything from anyone, thank you very much. Our will always says 'there's a better way and I'll find it all by myself'.
But... what is God's will? You know, our Father - the One who came to earth in Jesus and suffered death because He loved us so much. By the way, Jesus did the will of His Father, not His own - or else I wouldn't be sitting here writing this and you wouldn't be sitting there reading this. This may raise a little anger in some... where's that coming from... oh, our will.
Now, our will is God-given. It gives us the ability to choose. Do we choose to do the will of God or do we choose to do our own will - God has left that up to us. Sometimes what we sense God wants us to do just may be the hardest task we've ever done in our lives... thus far. We can choose not to do it -in which there will more than likely be some kind of consequence (even as 'small' as a knowing that we should have done it) - and by the way, that would be OUR will for us. Or we can listen to God and do what He says, which would be HIS will for us.
Let's repent for 'doing things our way' and choose to use our will to do the will of our Father in our lives.
If it's a heartfelt repentance, it may be painful. It won't stay that way. He wants to bring us joy, even as He bring Him joy and this where sorrow and joy, emptiness and fulfillment meet... in repentance. .Jesus didn't come to condemn (I think I've said that before....) - but Jesus said, "I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness. “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”
Jesus came to give us LIFE. In return we give our lives - our wills over to Him. Don't worry, he'll take better care of our will than what we have ;)
May this song bring us to our knees and then empower us through the Holy Spirit to walk a life pleasing to God.
Not My Will - Acappella

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