"God's Will is 98% About Who You Are"

Hey everyone! I was reading my usual blogs today and Luke's post inspired me to check out the James MacDonald website. There are some categorized articles available on the site, and here is one that stuck out to me. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! It's mostly just a great reminder and a comfort to recognize that God is in control. (Thank goodness).

God’s Will is 98% About Who You Are
By Dr. James MacDonald

As a pastor, I often hear questions about God’s will. “What does God want me to do?” is the most common, but there are others: “Where does God want me to live?” “Who does God want me to marry?” “What job does God want me to take?”
This may come as a surprise to you, but the Bible doesn’t spend any time on that stuff. God’s focus isn’t so much on the externals; He wants to change the inner you. He says, “If I can change you into the person I want you to be, you’ll know where you’re supposed to go, and you’ll know who you’re supposed to marry, and you’ll know where you’re supposed to work.”

God’s will is 98% about who you are. Don’t believe me? Need some evidence? Check out the words of Paul: “You ought to walk [to] please God . . . for you know what commandments we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:1-3). You can’t get much more clear than that!

The word “sanctification” comes from a root word that means “to make holy.” Sanctification is the process by which God takes sinful people and makes them holy. (It’s not really as churchy as it sounds.) Holy is a great word; it means “set apart” or “distinct.” It means “different from the sinful world around us.” It means being like God. “This is the will of God, your sanctification.” That’s what God is doing—He’s trying to sanctify or change you.

Choose to believe the truth that God is changing you, and you should clear up a lot of confusion. Next time you wonder about what you are seeing or experiencing and struggle to know what God could be up to, just say to yourself, “He’s changing me,” and you’ll be right. Next time disappointments or heartaches come (maybe you’re in the midst of them right now), try to recognize that God Himself is holding the hammer and chisel.

But why? Why is He so stuck on this matter of change? Here’s the hard truth that sets people free: God’s bottom line doesn’t have anything to do with you or me or any human being. This whole universe is not about us; it’s about Him. God does not exist to fulfill our purposes; we exist to fulfill His purposes. The reason why you are here is because God wants to demonstrate His power and splendor through your life, and if you realize that you are not doing it very well, then you truly understand why He wants to change you. He wants to get you to the place where no matter what happens to you or what you go through, you trust Him and follow Him and are committed wholly to His goodness. And so He’s coming after you, and He’s trying to change you. Let Him do His work in you, and watch Him display His awesomeness through you.

Original article can be found here.
James MacDonald website can be found here.

Check 'em out! I guarantee you'll be blessed.

T