Good Morning Friends,
“Finally, brothers, we instructed you how to live in order to please God, as in fact you are living. Now we ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus to do this more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control his own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the heathen, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong his brother or take advantage of him. The Lord will punish men for all such sins, as we have already told you and warned you. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8)
Most Christians long to know God’s will for their lives. It’s one of the most frequently asked questions: How can I find God’s will? A seminar addressing that question will always be well attended. We seek God’s will for marriage, for our career, for spending money, and in myriads of other life decisions. And that is a good pursuit, we should long to do what pleases God. What pleases God will always be, in the long run, what is best for our lives, too.
God’s will is not always something that is illusive and hard to discern. God has clearly revealed His will in some matters in His Word. Here Paul writes that “it is God’s will that you should be sanctified.” That’s as clear and straightforward as it can be written. And lest we misunderstand what Paul means by being sanctified, he goes on to explain it: to avoid sexual immorality and use our bodies in holy and honorable ways.
I can’t tell you how many times couples have sat in my office and talked about their living situation -- not married, but living together as though they were. And almost always they try to justify what they are doing by bringing God’s will into it – we’re sure it is all right with God, He brought us together – we’ve prayed about it and it's God’s will for us. No it’s not! God has already spoken His will very clearly about sexual immorality and His will is that we avoid it. That’s what pleases Him -- and, in the long run, that is what’s best for our lives, too.
Seek God’s will for your life where it is unclear. But while you do, follow His will where He has revealed it. Sometimes I wonder why God would reveal any more of His will when we ignore the parts of it that He has revealed so clearly.
His, by Grace,
Steve
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