What is God’s will for my life?

About a week and a half ago we were going through Acts 8 and looking at the life of Philip. Amidst everything in that chapter I went off on a little side discussion about God’s will and calling. This always seems to be something people spend a lot of time talking about and look for. Interestingly enough, people in the Bible (such as Philip who heard a clear voice from God) didn’t spend any time looking for God’s specific will. Not only that, but if you take the time to look up some of these words (or phrases) you’ll see that the authors weren’t even concerned about getting us to look for it. So what were they concerned about?

I went to biblegateway and typed in the word called to see what would pop up. Here is a sample of what I found.

And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. Romans 1:6

To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:… Romans 1:7

To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people… I Corinthians 1:2

God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. I Corinthians 1:9

… God has called us to live in peace. I Corinthians 7:15

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel… Galatians 1:6

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve on another humbly in love. Galatians 5:13

I pray that the eyes of your heart my be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people… Ephesians 1:18

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called. Ephesians 4:4

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time… II Timothy 1:9

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do. I Peter 1:15

To this (suffering for doing good – see vs 20) you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. I Peter 2:21

Do not replay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. I Peter 3:9

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! … I John 3:1

Believe it or not, that is not an exhaustive list. But one thing is for sure, the theme of calling seems to be more about being called to hope, to grace, to suffering for doing good, to sonship, to live in peace, etc. than it is about where you should go to college or who you should marry. I can’t help but wonder what the church would look like if we spent our time worrying about what we were called to rather than our calling.

What’s God’s will for my life? Does he have a specific plan for me? Maybe and yes.

If what we’re trying to answer is does God want me to be a campus minister up until a specific date and then move to another job… then maybe. Clearly God called specific people in the Bible at specific times for specific purposes. But it doesn’t seem to be the norm. And even if I am one of those people, I’ll take my cue from those before me and not spend my time fretting over it.

But, if what we’re trying to answer has to do with the type of person God has called me to be… then absolutely. I’ve been called to be a person of peace. I’ve been called to grace and to live in hope. I’ve been called to suffer for doing good in the name of Jesus. I’ve been called to do a lot.

Take some time and look up some of these key words and phrases yourself. Let me know what you find.

Exodus Cry is a group seeking to raise up a prayer movement to fight human trafficking and slavery.  They’ll be discussing how people can get involved in the prayer movement and talking about how Jesus fits into the reality of modern slavery.  The first step to ending something like this is to raise awareness about it and that’s part of the goal of this screening.  It won’t be easy to watch and hear about, but I’m eager to learn more about the ways that I can help and pray for the end of sex slavery.

If you’d like to join us we’ll be meeting behind Lenoir and walking over to eat dinner at Cosmic at 6. The film starts at 7 in Hanes Art Center and you’re welcome to meet us there if you’d like.

If you’re still not sure about going, follow the link and check things out for yourself!

Nefarious: Merchant of Souls Website

Shannon

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

Being a Christian doesn’t mean that we will never be sad.  It doesn’t mean that we don’t mourn a loss.  I take comfort in these verses because I know that it’s okay for me to feel these things.  I know that right now might be a time in my life to weep but I also know that soon enough the time will come for me to laugh again.  I hope you’ll remember the message of these verses and that they can be a comfort to you when you need them as well.

Shannon

When we went through the Radical Journey in CCF last year, part of what we looked at was praying for other nations.  We also did a Bible study on God’s Heart for the Nations.  My question for you is how many of you still pray for other countries on a regular basis?  I’m not trying to be critical or anything… I know I haven’t been the best at remembering this either!  I just want to remind you all that if God’s focus is on ALL the people of the world then why would we choose to focus on such a small part of it?

When commissioning His disciples, Jesus told them in Matthew 28:19-20,

Therefore go and make disciples of ALL NATIONS, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

I don’t know what this means for you.  For some it means becoming a missionary and going to work in a foreign country.  For others it means being the person who supports the missionary while they are overseas.  It could also mean that you reach out to international students on campus so that they can go back to their countries and be lights for Christ.  There are lots of different ways to be a Global Christian but the one thing that we should all do is pray.  It may encourage you to remember these verses from Revelation 7:9-10…

After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from EVERY nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.  They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.  And they cried out in a loud voice:“Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.”

Shannon

I’m glad we bit the bullet and jumped in. Tonight we looked at the three portraits of Jesus in Revelation. We usually picture Jesus as a perfect Scandinavian with feathered hair. Fact is, he wasn’t. Not only wasn’t he, but that is nowhere close to what he looks like in Revelation. The three pictures are…
- a great High Priest who is standing among the churches (chapter 1)
- a Lamb who looks slain in the midst of suffering (chapter 5)
- the King of Kings with all authority in a world with an uncertain future (from our perspective) (chapter 19)

These pictures give such a different view of Jesus. Out of them all, I have to say that the Lamb is my favorite. There are so many reasons I could point to. Is it that the Lamb is also the Lion of Judah? The dichotomy is great, but that’s not it. Is it the idea that Jesus is carrying our scars for all eternity? That is really something to think about, but that’s not it. I think it’s that out of all the pictures of Jesus, this is the only one that takes place in the throne room. When the Lamb steps on the scene the only reaction is for everyone to fall in worship.

If you haven’t taken a look at these pictures in a while I encourage you to give them a look. Which one speaks to you?

Written by Dean