Principles to Live By: The Will of God, Pt. 4

God's will for every person born is to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior and then walk in obedience to Him and watch the plan He has for them come to light.

Principles to Live By: The Will of God, Pt. 4

"Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness."

(Psalm 143:10)

I hope you are getting a clearer understanding of God's will for your life as you journey with me in this week's devotions. Yesterday, we studied Luke 5:1-11, where Jesus called Peter, James, and John to follow Him. Let us pick up where we left off.

Dr. Stanley points out that they were fishermen, and they knew fishing. They possessed strong characteristics that would bode well for them, not just as fisherman but also as disciples of Jesus. They were daring, determined, patient, and had a "don't give up" attitude. What Jesus said to Peter was unreasonable to him at first. Peter may have thought, "What? I have been fishing all my life. Fish at night in shallow water, not daytime in deep water. He is a preacher. Who is he to tell me how to do my job?!" Peter may have thought that, but that is not what he did. He obeyed. And that is our choice as well. We can rationalize and tell God we know better than Him, or we can humble ourselves and say, "Yes Lord I will do what You tell me." When we do that, it always works out for the best!

Stanley said, "God has a will for all of us, and there is no such thing as 'just a mom' or whatever. He has a will for us, and He equips us to do what He wants or calls us to do. He will show His will in small and big issues. Do the small, and you are in the habit of obeying, so when big ones come, you are ready. He gets involved to help us do it."

This is so true. God's will for every person born is to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior and then walk in obedience to Him and watch the plan He has for them come to light. It pleases God and brings Him glory when we search out His will and then do what He tells us. It brings Him glory and brings us great blessings and benefits.

Stanley commented that Peter thought they were going for an empty boat ride. He was tired, had fished all night, and the nets were drying. He most likely thought it was a total waste of time. He could have said, "Jesus, I am not going; my friends think I am crazy." He had lots of reasons to not obey. But he obeyed.

Dr. Stanley at this point in his message went on to use other biblical illustrations to point out how, on the surface, obeying God does not make sense to us at first. Think of Noah and the big boat; he could have asked, "Where is the water, and how much will building the ark cost?" But he didn't; he simply built the boat, and God used that boat to save Noah and all his family. Another biblical illustration Dr. Stanley provided was Jesus with His friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Jesus did not go when they first asked Him to come and help Lazarus. He could have healed him, but He let him die. The sisters got upset. "You didn't come!" Unreasonable. Later, it proved to be very reasonable, just like it was for Noah when the rain came. Jesus wanted to do something better. Humanly speaking, He showed up late. But His timing was perfect. The impact was greater, and so was the glory to God. We are to follow God even when it is not reasonable. Common sense is not enough; we have a little, but omniscience has all knowledge. We think Jesus is late, but that is just what we think; God is always on time.

Dr. Stanley dropped some truth in this message! It blessed and challenged me. How did it speak to you?