9)
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will,
according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10) That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things
in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11) In whom also we have obtained an
inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12) That we should be to the praise
of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
|
I |
t seems
difficult to get Man to understand that God has a right to expect anything of
him. Specifically, that God is well within His rights to expect Man to carry
out His will. After all, God is responsible for Man's very existence. And, if
he is saved, God is responsible for that salvation. Too often, however, Man
thinks he knows what is best for himself, not seeking the counsel of an
all-wise God.
It is hard to
find someone who thinks they are not smart. So, if you think you already know
everything, going to anyone else for direction actually seems useless.
Regardless of how smart Man thinks he is, as a child of God he cannot allow his will to take top priority.
You might say, "God gave me common sense." But "common" sense is just that—anybody can have it. A natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God because spiritual things are spiritually discerned. As children of God, we do not settle for what is common, but realize we are equipped with the Holy Spirit, or spiritual sense, and thereby we may know the things of God—even if they are a mystery to the natural man.
Seeing that
we have this capability, we do ourselves, and more importantly, the Lord, a
great disservice when we try to operate in this life without seeking His
counsel. Because we do not seek the Lord, the misunderstanding is that going
after what we desire will make us happy. We cannot live a
"dual-natured" life—one according to the flesh and the Spirit—and not
expect to be pulled "in two" trying to do so. We need to understand
that lust is deceitful because you "think" you will find happiness,
yet you will always be pursuing an "elusive dream." Man will never please his flesh and must come to
the place that he stops seeking to do so. If you do that which pleases the
Lord, that will make Him happy, and He will make you happy.
Man thinks,
though, if I listen to God, He will have me doing things I don't want to do.
What God wants you to do is follow His counsel and He will bless you in doing
so. He will have it no other way. He cannot. If He allowed you to live by your
own will, you would expect to do so all the time and constantly end up in great
turmoil. What kind of witness would that be?
The devil
would like you to think real joy is in what you
want. Drugs, nicotine, alcohol, illicit sex—none of these will fill the hole
that God needs to fill in your life. Real joy is not even in new cars, new
homes, or new friends; those are not new forever. Real joy is serving the
Lord—doing the will of Him that sent you—that is, bringing others to salvation.
When you do this, and you see those souls are remaining saved, that is
refreshing. Real joy is union with, and the inheritance of, Jesus Christ.
We can have
continuous joy in the Holy Ghost if we do not look at things personally, but
bring God into the picture by asking His direction. When we are unhappy, we are
acting after our own will. We must live seeking God's direction in all things.
We must view every situation not as something to hold us back or to take away
our joy. Every situation is a blessing in disguise, designed by God to edify
His ministry and to elevate us in Him.
In following
the counsel of God's will, there can never
be disappointment. Why? Because you will recognize this: Everything that comes
is only to glorify the Kingdom. You just remember to praise Him regardless
of the circumstances and know that His will for you is that you be an overcomer. He has already made you an overcomer
and only wants the best for you . . . all this, and heaven, too!, if you seek and follow the wise counsel of God.