In Search Of...

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

I've been looking for verses this morning that apply to seeking God's Will for your life. What I am trying to find is some direction or instructions. Mostly- how do you know if what you are thinking about doing is actually God's will for you to do? How do you know that it's not just yourself seeking a little bit of attention, or trying to show off? That can be a fine line sometimes- and is why I don't sing in front of church anymore. I was always doing it for me- I always sang to show off, not to glorify God. Now playing the drums for me is different. Maybe part of it is that I am not very good in my opinion, so I do my best with what talent I have in that area. But is that glorifying God? And is it God's will for me?

Anyway, my search for verses led me to 1 Thessalonians, which has turned out to be a wealth of guidance, and I thought I would share that this morning. I was led to chapter 4, and the little subtitle in my Bible says "Live to please God." Right there I have a clue to helping me discover God's will, and then verse 4 starts with "God wants you to be holy." So what does that mean? God wants me to be holy? Sounds a little scary to me, actually. But at the heart of being holy, what the Bible is saying is that he wants me to be more Christ-like. Being holy means being set apart for God's use- it means that in order to do his service, a change must be made. It means that I need to wholly accept what Jesus has done for me and give up my sin. And after I have accepted him into my life and changed my ways, I can seek his will for my life.

This is where I think it is simpler than it seems. How do I determine if something is God's will for me? Put simply, will what I am contemplating doing mean that I will be more like Christ by doing it. Is it something that Jesus would have done, or will it ultimately bring glory to him. God calls us to be holy. When we are set apart for him, we will be able to serve him in all areas of our life. That is ultimately the will of God- to be holy and to serve him.