Will Of God.htm

WILL OF GOD.

"Try to find out what would please the Lord; take no part in the barren deeds of darkness, but show them up for what they are... Use the present opportunity to the full, for these are evil days. So do not be fools, but try to understand what the Will of the Lord is." (Eph 5:10,11 & 16,17 NEB).

HOW TO DISCERN THE WILL OF GOD.
"Adapt yourselves no longer to the pattern of this present world, but let your minds be remade and your whole nature thus transformed. Then you will be able to discern the Will of God, and to know what is good, acceptable, and perfect." (Rom 12:2 NEB).

'How can we come to perceive this direct leading of God? By a careful looking at home, and abiding within the gates of our own souls. Therefore, let a man be at home in his own heart, and cease from his restless chase of and search after outward things. If he is thus at home while on earth, he will surely come to see what there is to do at home, what God commends him inwardly without means, and also outwardly by the help of means; and then let him surrender himself, and follow God along whatever path his loving Lord thinks fit to lead him: whether it be to contemplation or action, to usefulness or enjoyment; whether in sorrow or in joy, let him follow on.' (J. Tauler).

"He who has God for his Father listens to the words of God." (From John 8:47 NEB).

"…you should be made new in the force actuating your mind, and should put on the new personality which was created according to God's Will in true righteousness and loyalty." (Eph 4:23,24).

"You need endurance, if you are to do God's Will and win what He has promised... 'and by faith My righteous servant shall find life; but if a man shrinks back, I take no pleasure in him,' But we are not among those who shrink back and are lost; we have the faith to make life our own." (From Heb 10:36-39 NEB).

OBEDIENCE TO THE WILL OF GOD.
'If God requires anything of us, we have no right to draw back under the pretext that we are liable to commit some fault in obeying. It is better to obey imperfectly than not at all... Aim at a steady mind to do right, go wherever duty calls you, and believe firmly that God will forgive the faults that take our weakness by surprise in spite of our sincere desire to please Him.' (J. N. Grou).

'If he falls into some error, he does not fret over it, but rising up with a humble spirit, he goes on his way anew rejoicing. Were he to fall a hundred times in the day, he would not despair, he would rather cry out lovingly to God, appealing to His tender pity. The really devout man has a horror of evil, but he has a still greater love of that which is good; he is more set on doing what is right, than avoiding what is wrong. Generous, large hearted, he is not afraid of danger in serving God, and would rather run the risk of doing His Will imperfectly than not strive to serve Him lest he fail in the attempt.' (J. N. Grou).

"'Anyone who wishes to be a follower of mine must leave self behind; he must take up his (torture stake), and come with me. Whoever cares for his own safety is lost; but if a man will let himself be lost for my sake and for the Gospel, that man is safe." (From Mark 8:34,35 NEB).

"Therefore since Christ suffered in the flesh, you too arm yourselves with the same mental disposition; because the person that has suffered in the flesh has desisted from sins, to the end that he may live the remainder of his time in the flesh, no more for the desires of men, but for God's Will." (1 Peter 4:1,2).

SUFFERING IN HARMONY WITH THE WILL OF GOD.
'Whatever befalls us, however it befalls us, we must receive as the Will of God. If it befalls us through man's negligence, or ill-will, or anger, still it is, in every the least circumstance, to us the Will of God. For if the least thing could happen to us without God's permission, it would be something out of God's control. God's providence or His love would not be what they are. Almighty God Himself would not be the same God; not the God whom we believe, adore, and love.' (E. B. Pusey).

'Let your will be one with His Will, and be glad to be disposed of by Him. He will order all things for you. What can cross your will, when it is one with His Will, on which all creation hangs, round which all things revolve? Keep your hearts clear of evil thoughts; for as evil choices estrange the will from His Will, so evil thoughts cloud the soul, and hide Him from us. Whatever sets us in opposition to Him makes our will an intolerable torment. So long as we will one thing and He another, we go on piercing ourselves through and through with a perpetual wound; and His Will advances moving on in sanctity and majesty, crushing ours into the dust.' (H. E. Manning).

"So, then, also let those who are suffering in harmony with the Will of God keep on commending their souls to a faithful Creator while they are doing good." (1 Peter 4:19).

"…as slaves of Christ, do wholeheartedly the Will of God. Give the cheerful service of those who serve the Lord, not men. For you know that whatever good each man may do, slave or free, will be repaid him by the Lord." (From Eph 6:6-8 NEB).

SUBJECTING OUR WILL TO THE WILL OF GOD.
'It is not by seeking more fertile regions where toil is lighter (happier circumstances free from difficult complications and troublesome people) but by bringing the high courage of a devout soul, clear in principle and aim, to bear upon what is given to us, that we brighten our inward light, lead something of a true life, and introduce the Kingdom of heaven in the midst of our earthly day. If we cannot work out the Will of God where God has placed us, then why has He placed us there?' (J. H. Thom).

'How does our will become sanctified? By conforming it unreservedly to that of God. We will all that He wills, and will nothing that He does not will; we attach our feeble will to that all-powerful Will which performs everything. Thus, nothing can ever come to pass against our will; for nothing can happen save that which God wills, and we find in His good pleasure an inexhaustible source of peace and consolation.' (Fénelon).

"We can approach God with confidence for this reason: if we make requests which accord with His Will He listens to us; and if we know that our requests are heard, we know also that the things we ask for are ours." (1 John 5:14,15 NEB).

'There are no disappointments to those whose wills are buried in the Will of God.' (F. W. Faber).