God’s Will in the Little Things

So, God has been dealing with me for a while now on the topic of obedience.  As I have been studying Jeremiah and Exodus, I’ve come to realize that obedience is all about what God has designed and directed. It has nothing to do with my own wants and desires, other than to please Him. Who does He want me to become? What is He expecting from me? At the end of the day, He desires that I be holy.  

Pastor ministered this morning about the fact that we are always looking for God’s Will in our big decisions, but in order to get those answers, we have to live each day in His Will. The Lord told Moses and Aaron in Lev 11:44, “For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy.” That is His Will for us – that we be holy (set apart for God’s service, sacred, separated from the common). Everything else comes out of that. If we're successful in business or wealthy or have it all together by worldly standards, but we're not holy, we are NOT in His Will. 

We are expected to be different from the world. The closer we get to God through Jesus, the stronger our relationship with Him as we walk out this life. The stronger our relationship, the more we know God’s heart and the more we are changed to look and behave like Him. As we study His Word, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2). As we are transformed and we walk with God, we know His voice and follow His leading. We stop attempting to align His Will with ours and we surrender our will to His (Prov 3:5-6). As we follow His leading and are obedient in the small things, the everyday, God brings us to bigger things (Luke 16:10).

So, as Pastor said today, if you’re looking for God’s Will in the big stuff, start with small things today. Who is God making you today? How can you be closer to Him today? If what you’re doing draws you away from Him, ask Him to remove it. We can make as many plans for our future as we want, but tomorrow is not promised (Jam 4:14). All we have is today. Use the time wisely.

Partial Obedience is Sin

I began this entry a while ago and I left it after a few sentences. Apparently, that wasn’t the time for this one. I needed some additional experiences with our Heavenly Father to do it justice. 

How long has it been since you looked at your life and yourself? I mean really evaluated where you are in Jesus. I am one who regularly seeks feedback to see where I am and how I’m doing. I really thought I was doing okay. I don’t blatantly sin. I donate consistently to church. I give to those less fortunate. I believe in the truth and integrity. I believe in loving God with all of my heart, mind and soul. I believe in loving other people as myself. I believe in being fair and consistent. I believe God is Master and Lord. But, do I really? 

I’ve asked myself that question recently because the Lord has been working on me. And I was disappointed with the answer. James indicates that if we know what is right to do and we don’t do it, it is sin to us (Jam 4:17). Recently a pastor said, partial obedience is sin. God doesn’t want partial obedience; He wants our total surrender. That has resonated with me more and more over the past week or so when I realized I thought I had a choice about how I do things and when. 

For example, I know I need to exercise or work out most days, not necessarily to lose weight, but because it is good for my body – it strengthens my heart, lungs, muscles; it helps to lower blood pressure and glucose levels, etc. Exercise is good for our bodies. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, so it should be a well-kept temple. When we neglect the bodies, God gave us to steward, we are neglecting God’s property – remember we don’t belong to ourselves. When we know something is right to do and we don’t do it, it is sin to us. In this regard, I have been sinning and therefore in rebellion to God. Yes, it’s about exercise and I didn’t really feel like doing it. I don’t like it. But since when did God consider my likes or wants when He gives me direction? He doesn’t. 

I have been operating as if I have a choice in what I do or don’t do. And the reality is that I do have a choice, but it wasn’t the one I thought. I have the choice to obey God or not obey God. If I ask Him to order my steps, but when He does, I say no to Him or decide I know better/different, but that is sin to me. I either do what He says when He says it or I don’t. My likes or desires don’t weigh into the direction or guidance God is giving. If we look at any of the stories in the Bible, we don’t see God qualifying His directives or promises based on what anyone liked. I’m sure Moses would have liked not to lead a rebellious people (Num 14), but He took up the mantle and led millions of Israelites to freedom. Jesus prayed that the bitter cup of the crucifixion would pass Him by (Matt 26:36-46), but He was willing to go to the cross for us knowing what He would face and how we would throw His gift back at Him. I’m sure Paul did not want to be beaten or shipwrecked or almost killed (2 Cor 11:25-33), but He understood that what God had for him was better than what he could provide for himself. The impact of being obedient in each case changed the world. 

What about you? What has God called you to do, but you decided now wasn’t the time or it made you uncomfortable? To what directive or call have you told God “No”? Take a long hard look at yourself. Are you being obedient to God? Or doing things because they align with your own will? If it’s the latter, repent. Repent, quickly! Motive matters. Obedience means doing what God calls us to do even when we don’t agree or it makes us uncomfortable or we don’t know how God will do a thing. The fact is that we don’t need to know – we just need to obey. Turn to God and get on board to do what He called you to do. Think of what He can do in and through you. Remember, obedience brings blessing and disobedience brings punishment and judgement (Deut 28). Obedience is the better choice!