I must give credit where it belongs ... this message is from a sermon I heard from Grace Assembly of God church in Tanglin Road Singapore yesterday, by Pastor David Lim.
Misconception:
God's will is a smooth, blessed path.
Reality:
God's will may involve bearing a cross.
Misconception:
A coincidence, an emotion (feeling), a prophecy.
Reality:
Do not oversimplify God's will.
Misconception:
Find THE mate and you will be complete.
Reality:
1 is a whole number. THE mate, 1 in 3.5billion people?
Rigidity hinders openness to possibilities.
Marriage is not a magic formula to happiness, it takes patience, work and grace.
Misconception:
Find THE job and you will be fulfilled.
Reality:
Many have 3 - 10 vocations in their lifetime. Be flexible.
Finding out the Will of God is important. LIVING OUT the will of God is more crucial.
I. It is more important to know Him (Relationship) Than to Know What is the will of God
We are made in the image of Christ, we are His masterpiece, our lives should reflect Him to others and to ourselves. God's will for us is to be Christ-like.
Commit your ways to the Lord, trusting Him releases our faith! (Ps37:5-6)
II. Grow by Your Choices
God may not reveal destinations or persons. God may not reveal where you will land up eventually or the persons you should choose in certain junctures in your life.
In life we make choices, right choices or wrong choices.
Right choices through good decisions - Glorify God!
Wrong choices. - well, we can trust God, God is sovereign and God can work in these situations and turn them around for our good.
Choices build character: integrity, patience, Christ-likeness.
III. Life Changes, Prepare for it! (Flexibility)
a. Spiritual quotient - renew the spirit daily (2Cor4:16)
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.
b. Emotional Quotient - Relationships, maturity, communication (1Cor12, 1Cor13)
c. Intellectual Quotient - Renew my mind (Romans 12:2) R u a victim or a victor in life?
Romans 12:2
Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
d. Financial Quotient - defeat debts, greed, wrong values
Matthew 6:24
"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
When your blessing comes, your spirit man must be mature enough to handle the blessing, otherwise the blessing handles you.
When we see some people receiving the blessings from the Lord, they are too pre-occupied with their blessings and they stop serving the Lord sometimes altogether.
Eg. becoming wealthier and busier growing the wealth (greed?), got married and hence no time for God, have children and even lesser time to serve the Lord, etc.
e. Physical Quotient - Train the body (1Cor9:27)
No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.
Take care of our body, the temple of God. Exercise to keep fit. Be disciplined to stay healthy. So that we can serve the Lord longer.
IV. Bloom where you are planted. (Claim the Now!)
a. Flourish now. Don't long for the far away. Claim the NOW!
Don't always say when I become a worldclass musician then I would ... enjoy the now!
Ps1:3
He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither.
Whatever he does prospers.
Ps92
12 The righteous will flourish like a palm tree,
they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;
13 planted in the house of the LORD,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
14 They will still bear fruit in old age,
they will stay fresh and green,
15 proclaiming, "The LORD is upright;
he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him."
b. ALL of life is a holy calling.
Being an employee, an employer, a businessman, an entreprenuer, a son, a daugther, a sister, a brother, a daddy, a mommy, a hubby, a wife,a son-in-law, a daughter-in-law, a ministry worker, an usher, a singer in church, a pastor, etc ... and the responsiblities and chores that comes with it ... IS A HOLY CALLING. Yes, even washing dishes is a holy calling!
c. Minister in your anointing
Serve the Lord in whatever areas you are good at. Be it visitation, prayer, sharing the Word with others, encouraging others, giving money, blessing others with a good meal, making cakes and pastries for others, giving to missions, to ministries, church buildings, administration, holy communion elements preparation, etc.
I must say that even the most manual tasks are ministries. Especially the manual mundane tasks. In the eyes of the Lord, the eyes, the mouth, the skin, the hairs, the sole of the feet, all the parts of the body form the whole body! No task is unimportant in the Body of Christ. and we share THE SAME reward!
Romans 12:
3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
Col 3
23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
24since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
25Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
d. Your ministry will make a way for you.
If God closes a door, He opens a window.
and What a Window!
Don't let set backs set you back in the Lord.
God specialises in using set backs to spur us on to greater works in HIM and for His glory!
I must confess that as I type, I have fresh insights from the Spirit and verses, these fresh insights and verses that are not in the sermons are included in the above.
