I don’t think I’m spending time efficiently in my typing. I think the 1000-word increments are a little too time-consuming for me. It’s forced me to add filler, and while doing that is an exercise in clarification, I’m realizing it may not be worth the time to go for two and three thousand words in one go. With that being said I think I will respect the 1000-word minimum, but if I need to write more about anything, well, I’ll do it in another article, meaning another AI-generated feature photo, etc. No biggie. Also, if I need to write about something that comes up, and if it falls way behind, then I’ll hold it until another idea or thought of worthy of around the same amount of elaboration comes around, until I hit another 1000 words.
Who knows, this may help me with my issue – you know, the one where I claim that it’s no longer about nothing having anything to say, but not knowing what to say out of the millions of things in my mind to say. You know.
Anyway.
Whenever I offer to pray for people, and whenever I ask them for what we can pray about, chances are they’re in the middle of a decision they have to make, and most of them would say that they’re waiting for God’s will. And I do understand that what they want is God’s advice for them in their specific situation. I’d definitely still pray for them. In fact, if you want me to pray for you about something of a similar nature, don’t hesitate to ask.
What I’ve realized, however, is that it may just be counterproductive for us to wait on God in every single situation we’re in, to know what His specific will is in our businesses, in our families, in our careers, in our purchases, and so on. Now I’m not saying waiting on the Lord is bad – it’s just that too many of us are taking too much time trying to figure out what God wants.
Oftentimes we try to figure Him out, and it’s all out of fear of falling out of His will. We say we’re waiting on Him, when what we’re saying is we’re afraid to move forward, because we might offend Him. Now, I can’t speak for God’s will for each and every circumstance and each and every situation we’re in – But this shouldn’t stop us from knowing what we can know about His will for us, in general.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2 Peter 3:9
Friends, the first thing I want all of us to consider, when thinking about God’s will, is that He does not want any of us to perish. On the flip side, He DOES want us to ‘reach repentance’; that is, to change the way we think about Him. I think it’s important for us to differentiate here. He does not want us to die, so doesn’t that mean He wants us to live? Yes, but it’s far more important for us to know what He wants us to know about Him.
Consider Jesus’ Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. The first two servants doubled what they were entrusted with, no problem. The third servant took his talent and hid it; when confronted, he said ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ (Matthew 25:24-25). The third servant thought that his master was a ‘hard man’; He openly said that he thought he took credit for other people’s efforts, and took the fruit of other people’s labor. Ironically, he says he was afraid but he had no problems saying all that to his master’s face, giving his talent back to him. We see here that his idea of his master defined his actions.
God wants us to repent – that is, to change our minds about who He is.
Now, let’s look at 1 Timothy 2:1-6:
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
What do we know so far about God’s will? It is God’s will that nobody should perish. Here, we see the other side of the coin – It’s also God’s will that all people would be saved. In fact, now that I’m looking at both lines in 2 Peter 3:9 and 1 Timothy 1:4, we can combine and come up with the following; That is, God’s will is for nobody to perish, but for all people to be saved. Consequently, it’s God’s will that all should reach repentance, and to come to the knowledge of the Truth.
But here’s the thing – I feel as if a lot of us have stopped at focusing on how to ‘reach repentance’; Now, I don’t think there’s anything wrong in our realizing our mistakes and turning our ways to do good. BUT what I’m trying to have all of us consider here is that the way FOR us to repent is not primarily according to our own efforts! No, friends, we have the method right there – if we come to the knowledge of the Truth, that brings us to repentance!
Sorry, commercial – I seem to have reached another 1000 words at this point, but I don’t feel like dividing the thought here – not while I’m ‘hot’. Thing is, I’ve realized, I CAN reach 1000 and still need more space, even with an intentional effort to cut on my filler.
Let’s see where we’ve come so far.
Based on 2 Peter 3:9 and 1 Timothy 2:1-6, we’ve established that God’s Will is for all to know the Truth so they would come to repentance, and so that they would not perish, but they would be saved. We’ve come to the agreement that it’s not for us to prioritize our repentance by our own efforts, but we ought to know the Truth first.
Now the question should be asked – what IS the Truth? Friends, we see it in the next verses, in 1 Timothy 2:5-6:
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
It was Christ who gave Himself as a ransom for all. He died so we would not perish. We were supposed to perish because of sin (For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.Romans 6:23), but Christ died for our sins (For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures… 1 Corinthians 15:3).
It’s Christ who is the ONLY mediator between God and men. It’s Christ who we believe in, for us to be saved. (Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.”Acts 16:30-31) (because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.Romans 10:9)
When we believe in who God is through Christ, we will not perish, but have eternal life. (For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.John 3:16-17)
Friends, if we want to know what God’s Will is, we would do well to know the Truth. And if we want to know the Truth, let us look at Jesus Christ – It’s by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are led to knowing that it’s Christ who saved us from perishing, and it’s Christ who saved us.
If we want to know what God’s Will is, we would do well to know the Truth. And to that end we really should look towards Jesus Christ. It’s no accident that Christ said that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
I said that God’s Will is for all to know the Truth, and, surprise, surprise – whenever we do try to look for the Truth, we end up finding Christ.
And I don’t think this is a coincidence. We can be content with doing God’s Will by knowing the Truth – but I think what we’re being led to receive here is the Truth that Christ has already fulfilled God’s Will – by His finished work, we find out that we would not perish, because He was the One who saved us! When we understand all that He has done for us, we would embrace the Truth of who God is, and as our minds our changed, so our lives are changed also! When we see Jesus, it is but natural for us to repent, because He was the One who saved us, and because of Him, we would not perish!
I said that God’s Will is for all to know the Truth. But I dare say that God’s PERFECT Will is Jesus Christ – not merely for us to know Him, but to believe that He has done God’s Will, by not only showing us the Truth, but BEING our Truth.
Now what does all this mean for us? If we would seek God’s Will in the biggest of our decisions, we would do well – not only to call out to Christ, but to know Christ is with us in our meditations, no matter what.
If we’re curious to see God’s Will in even the smallest of our dealings, it’s good if we remember Christ intentionally during these times, but we ought to move, knowing Christ will never leave us, no matter what.
Let us not be like the third servant, who was not open to realizing how his master really was, and was afraid. Christ paid such a great price for us to understand that God, in all His glory and power, loves us so much, that He always wants to be with us, no matter what. If you want to know God’s Perfect Will for you in the biggest circumstances and the smallest decisions, look no further than Jesus Christ, through whom we see the Truth – He IS our Truth.
I’ll close with this. Once, the disciples asked Christ to teach them how to pray, and He shared what we now know as the Lord’s Prayer:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Matthew 6:9-13
For reasons of impact, let’s go through these words in reverse. It’s true that Christ said these words, but let us understand that He gave these words before He was crucified and resurrected.
It’s important for us to know this, because if we were to give consideration to the cross and the empty tomb, we now see things differently. That is:
Through Christ’s finished work, we have been delivered from evil.
Because of Christ’s resurrection, we have been made new creations – we have been made righteous, meaning even if we do fall into temptation, it would not fit who we are.
Because Christ was crucified for us, our sins have been forgiven completely; and we are able to forgive, as we have been forgiven.
Christ gave His body for us – He is the Bread of Life.
And in light of all this, we can truly say, that God’s kingdom has come, and His will has been done, on earth as it is in heaven – all through the finished work of Christ.
Therefore we join all creation in saying, ‘Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be Your name!’
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Hebrews 13:20-21
If you remember we talked about how waiting on the Lord is more than just waiting, but as Pastor Joedy pointed out, it’s ‘binding’.
Let us wait on the Lord – let us bind ourselves to Him, knowing that He not only provides, but He sees us through.
Such is the Will of God – Perfectly fulfilled by no less than Jesus Christ.
Amen. Until the next post, God bless you.
JB's Personal Brain Defragmenter 
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