God’s will and free choice: Did I mess up?

God gives us abundant freedom within the limits of His Fellowship.

 

 

 

Do we really have a choice?

Sometimes we ponder God’s will and call it a mystery. We think that it’s something that we must figure out, or we will be off course. We worry; what if I choose the wrong college? Career? Spouse? Home? Church? And so on. We fear that if we make a wrong choice, then we may mess up our lives!

I’m so glad we don’t have to guess at God’s will. He has made it clear. He wants us to trust Him. He wants us to obey. He wants us to abide in Him. He wants us to ‘be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances’ (1 Thes 5:16). God wants us to seek Him, find life in Him, get to know Him, love Him with our whole heart, surrender our life to Him, walk with Him, listen to Him, follow Him.

If we are listening to truth of Scripture, walking in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, and living in a growing relationship with Jesus Christ, I believe God gives us much freedom along our life’s journey. Living in light of Biblical truth, getting to know God’s heart about people and things, we can make so many choices that God can and will equally bless.

Let’s take marriage, for example. God gives parameters on the kind of person a Christian should marry (be equally yoked; 2 Cor 6:14), but He does not have someone’s name written in a hat that we must figure out or we will miss His plan for us and mess up our entire life! Thank God that He give us choices.

However, I think He gives us choice for a reason. We can only choose well and be blessed if we are walking according to the plan that He gave us. He gave us is word. Are we living in light of it? He gave us His Son. Are we modeling our lives after His? He gave us His Spirit. Are we listening to His leading?

When we live in light of God’s word, follow Jesus, and listen to the counsel of the Holy Spirit, we will make choices that honor God! He loves us. He doesn’t want to make life difficult for us. He wants to bless us. But sometimes His best blessing comes through suffering. He may allow us seasons of trials and doubts, because He knows that when we come through that refining fire, we will shine forth like gold!

The testimony of our lives will not be if we found our soulmate, lived in our perfect hometown, achieved the title we were created to attain, or even accomplished the ministry to which we were called. No, our testimony will be how we walked with Jesus. How we loved Him. How we honored Him wherever we were, whoever we were with, whatever we were doing. He will be glorified with our lives when we live in close relationship with Him and desire to know His heart. If we seek Him, He will be found by us (1 Chron 28:9). Isn’t that the greatest promise ever?

God delights to have us walk with Him. He loves it when we enjoy Him. He likes to know our thoughts and feelings, and He is pleased when we seek to know His thoughts and feelings. He desires our submission and pliability. We are to be like clay in a potter’s hands. We are to embrace the design He has for us, and live out our lives in relationship with Him.

We won’t know all of the plans up front. He likes it that way, because it keeps us close to Him. We need Him, and that’s a good thing.

For more on walking with God and living in His light, visit purposefulfaith.com