Contentment in Christ
What matters most to you? Unless we know who and Whose we are, our answer to this question will lead only to discontentment.
What matters most to you? Unless we know who and Whose we are, our answer to this question will lead only to discontentment.
Margin is a space between our load and our limits. We need margin in order to cultivate the interior garden of our spiritual life.
Reflecting on death can teach us to live fully in the precious present. Instead of blindly blundering through our lives, we need to notice the ways in which the world seeks to change us. In doing so, we will not succumb to the gradual downward pull of the world but will renew our minds in Christ.
We need to make the most of the time. And we do so not by striving harder or filling our hours with empty work, but by surrendering to God and serving Him in His strength.
This life is transitory, ephemeral, and we will face adversity while on this earth. But we have fellowship in Christ’s sufferings, a truth that ought to lead us to cultivate a greater longing for our eternal home.
Ken Boa looks at eight common misconceptions about God’s will. 1. “I must pray about each decision I make.” 2. “God’s will is often contrary to human reason.” 3. “To submit to God’s will I must give up my happiness.” 4. “If I follow God’s will, my problems will be over.” 5. “If I stray too far from God’s will, He won’t be able to use me again.” 6. “If I commit my life to God, He will want me to go to seminary.” 7. “I must have special confirmation before making important decisions.” 8. “God wants me to respond to every need.”
Communication is the main way in which we discern the will of God. It involves immersing ourselves in Scripture and coming before God in prayer. God will not guide us to do something contrary to Scripture. As we seek to discern His will, we must constantly be in prayer and examining our decisions in light of Scripture. If we think we hear God’s voice telling us to do something that is clearly contrary to Scripture (e.g., commit adultery), then it is not from God.
The discernment of God’s will does not come from employing certain techniques. To discern God’s will is to understand how to please Him and to be watchful for His daily guidance. This requires an ongoing and genuine relationship with the Lord. In particular, there are five facets of our relationship with Him that are prerequisites for receiving His guidance.
You are here for a purpose. Ephesians 2:10 says that those who are in Christ “are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” God intentionally made you with specific purposes in mind. It is His desire that you “walk in” those works He has prepared for you.
Does God have a specific will for your life that you can know? Does He prompt you with personal direction by the Holy Spirit? Or does He only reveal His will in a general way?
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