God's Will

I’ve thought many times about God’s will and what that might entail for my life and the lives of those around me. Yesterday, my in laws left to live in Haiti. They felt that the Lord was calling them to be the representatives for our church and the Alabama Baptist on a more permanent basis in Haiti. They will be assisting with the Children’s Hope orphanage and running the Alabama House where mission teams will stay when they come to do disaster relief. I think about them and wondered who would be going if they had not submitted to the Lord’s will in their life. I look at Tanya and Andy Birchfield who started the Children’s Hope (orphan) ministry in our church (First Baptist Montgomery). Due to their submission to the Lord’s will there are many orphans who now have a hope and a future. Within Lifeline, I think of the many families that I work with on daily bases who have accepted that the Lord’s will for their family is to make an addition! I want to challenge each of us to think and focus on what the Lord is calling us to do today. It may or may not involve orphans. Yet, I can tell you that God’s will does involve things that will bring Him glory! It is so important that we stay focused on His will so He will receive the glory He deserves! Recently, I was listening to one of my favorite speakers, Francis Chan. He was discussing a passage I had skimmed over many times.

Colossians 1:1. It says “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother”.

It clearly says that Paul was an apostle by the WILL of God. I immediately think about how difficult it probably was for Paul to sit his desires aside and continuously do the Lord’s will in his life. Francis Chan brought up a good point that sometimes we are almost scared to do God’s will. It may cause us to do something difficult. In my own life, I tend to enjoy being comfortable and easy going. Many times, full submission to the Lord’s will requires us to do complicated task that require we get out of our comfort zone. Today, I pray that we all would examine our hearts and humbly search for what God is calling us to do! It may be as simple as calling someone to apologize, going to visit someone that you don’t really have the time to visit, or as big as starting a new ministry in your church.