Get Properly Tuned
Can we know God’s will for our lives? The answer is, “Yes!” Acts 22:14 states, “The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know His will.” God is not playing “catch Me, if you can” with us in our desire to know His will for our lives;
but, like a radio, we need to be tuned properly to receive His signal. Let me propose how you can get in “tune” with God’s will for you. First, you must be willing to surrender your will. Our human nature is prone to compromise and resists obedience to God. Second, you must be willing to obey in faith. Our understanding of God’s ways is limited; yet God wants us to follow—“The just shall live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:4) Third, you must be willing to serve within the church. God often uses the Church to reveal His will to us. Fourth, you must be willing to serve while suffering. The attitude of being God’s steward and an awareness of God’s sovereignty must control your ministry. Fifth, you must be willing to be used by God. Don’t be so stuck in your thinking about how God operates that you miss the opportunity to participate in His miraculous power. Sixth, you must be willing to view God biblically. God the Father is your Father in heaven; and God the Father is your adopted Father. The more time you spend with God, the better you will get to know Him and how He thinks. Seventh, you must be willing to accept God’s providence. He is in control. He is committed to transforming you into Christ’s image, and He uses whatever means He chooses. Eighth, you must be willing to do God’s will. You may have to slaughter a few sacred cows! Sometimes, our traditional ways of thinking ministry are our own human ideas, and not God’s. These eight principles are the fulfillment of Romans 12:1-2 … but the problem with living sacrifices is that they keep climbing down off the altar.
Sin cera, Erik
Erik O. Garthe is Associate Pastor at Canton Baptist Church in Baltimore, Maryland.