Discovering and Doing the Will of God
Finding the will of God is both a mystery and an adventure. Certainly, we would be short-sighted if we didn’t curiously and diligently pursue the path God wants us to walk. If Jesus is our Lord, it makes sense for us to do what He wants us to do. Can we know what He wants us to do? If so, how specific can we expect His direction to be? And how much freedom has God given us to make decisions that have consequences for good or bad?
Discussion Questions
Ask anyone curious about God if they would like to know His will for their lives and watch the response. Why does the subject of knowing God’s will generate interest? In what specific areas of your life are you eager to discover God’s will?
Ready to solve a debate that is centuries old? How would you describe the relationship between the sovereignty of God and your ability to make free choices? Does God’s sovereignty require that He is the cause of every action, thought and event?
Read the following passages and observe how these verses remind us of our ability to freely choose: Genesis 2:15-17, Joshua 24:15, 1 Kings 18:21, Matthew 23:37.
Read Ephesians 5:17 and Colossians 1:9. Is it possible for you to know God’s will for your life? To what level of detail does the will of God extend into your life?
It seems as though God gives us freedom of choice even in critical areas where we are searching for his will. Notice the freedom that the early church leaders exercised when deciding on the foundational elements of the early church. Can you see their freedom to choose in Acts 15:22, 25, 28?
In addition to our freedom to choose our direction in life, God also interrupts our lives with specific direction. What do you notice about God’s guidance with Cornelius in Acts 10 and with Paul in Acts 16:9-10.
In what areas of your life are you searching for God’s will? How are you seeking to discover what God wants for you?
Further Reading
Where You Do Not Want to Go
Saying that Jesus is Lord, implies surrendering to His will over ours. No matter how you frame it, surrender is frightening. When we surrender, we are vulnerable. When we surrender someone else determines our path and can take us where we do not want to go. Jesus...
Aware of the Dangers
Temptation is real. And so is the danger of making sinful choices that displease the Lord of our lives. Fortunately for our sakes, others before us have made unfortunate choices that we can learn from. While the Bible is filled with examples of success, it is just as...
Upside Down Authority
When you think of the word authority, what comes to mind? You might think of someone who used their authority to control or manipulate you. If that's the case, the word authority may cause a negative reaction. But as Jesus used the authority given to him by God the...
The New You
If we grudgingly view Christ’s lordship in our lives as a threat to our freedom, we don’t understand the real freedom we’ve been given through Him. Jesus has come to make us new, literally! Through the new birth, we’ve been given a new nature and the cord to sin and...
The Glory of God
The glory of God can seem like a confusing idea. The Bible makes a big deal of it, even making it a matter of life and death. But we tend not to think about it very much. What exactly is God’s glory? What if understanding and seeking God’s glory dramatically changes...