Category: God’s will

Matthias or Paul? #1

Friday, April 13, 2012

“And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles” (Acts 1:26 KJV).

Who should have been Judas Iscariot’s replacement? Some have erroneously concluded that Paul should have filled Judas’ office. Were the eleven apostles wrong in selecting Matthias, as some claim? Why not look at the Scriptures, instead of relying on idle speculation?

Let us read from Acts chapter 1: “[20] For it is written in the book of Psalms, Let his habitation be desolate, and let no man dwell therein: and his bishoprick let another take. [21] Wherefore of these men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, [22] Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.”

Firstly, Judas’ replacement had to have followed Jesus Christ during the entire course of His earthly ministry, from John the Baptist to His ascension in Acts chapter 1. Paul does not fit these qualifications. In fact, Saul of Tarsus (Paul) was unsaved until Acts chapter 9, a year after Christ’s ascension!

Continue reading in Acts chapter 1: “[23] And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. [24] And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, [25] That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.”

In the above Scriptures, we see Who actually chose Matthias. It was neither Peter nor the other ten apostles. It was the Lord! “Lord, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen.” Are we so bold as to say God was wrong to appoint Matthias instead of Paul? We had better not be so foolish.

Furthermore, Matthias, not Paul, will reign over Israel in Judas’ stead in Christ’s millennial kingdom (Matthew 19:27,28). God did not make Paul Judas’ replacement, for Paul would serve another role….

What Does God Want Me to Do? #11

Sunday, April 8, 2012

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 KJV).

Before God could do His “good pleasure” in and through us, and before Jesus Christ could live in and through us, He had to die and resurrect.

Jesus Christ died, not simply to help us get to heaven as religion teaches, but He died because our “good” works were nothing but “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6) and “dung” (Philippians 3:8). Jesus Christ’s death was the only acceptable sacrifice to God: our good works cannot save us and they will never save us. Christ died for us so He could then give His life to us when we trust Him, so He can then live His life in and through us! Christ’s life—not our life—is acceptable to God, for Christ’s life is not “dung” and “filthy rags.”

Have victory over sin by resting in your new identity in Christ Jesus. When Christ died, you died to sin (Romans 6:6). God has given you Christ’s life: “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:11). I encourage you to read all of Romans chapter 6 and rejoice in the glorious truths of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and their impact on us.

We should remember Jesus Christ’s resurrection every day. The same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is now causing Him to live His resurrected life in and through us as we walk by faith in an intelligent understanding of God’s Word to us.

What does God want you to do? He wants you to rejoice and glory in the resurrection life of Jesus Christ. If you have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour, you have Christ’s resurrection life now and forever. You have eternal life right now (you do not have to wait until you die to get eternal life).

Friend and brethren, study God’s Word God’s way, and then go and let Christ’s resurrection life live in and through you for His glory!

HAPPY EASTER!

*These past 11 devotionals have been adapted from a larger Bible study titled “Christ Liveth in Me.” The Bible study can be read here and watched here.

What Does God Want Me to Do? #10

Saturday, April 7, 2012

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 KJV).

Today’s Scripture tells us God’s “good pleasure” is to work in and through us to accomplish His will. When we place our faith in the sound (dispensational) Bible doctrine that tells us what God is doing today (Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon), then God the Holy Spirit will use that doctrine to transform us from the inside (soul) out (lifestyle)!

Epaphras prayed that the Colossian believers “would stand perfect and complete in all the will of God” (4:12). Compare that to Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonian believers: “Wherefore also we pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of his goodness, and the work of faith with power: that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:11,12; cf. Philippians 1:9-11; Colossians 1:9-11). The goal of God’s working in and through us is to glorify “the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in [us],” and to “glorify [us] in him.”

God wants “the word of Christ” to “dwell in [us] richly in all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16)—to fill us with sound (dispensational) Bible doctrine that will literally “dwell” (live) in us (cf. 1 Thessalonians 2:13)! The indwelling Holy Spirit takes the sound Bible doctrine we believe and He uses it to form Christ Jesus in us, so that the sound Bible teaching (Christ’s life) is literally transferred to us, and then our lifestyles better reflect God’s grace (Titus 2:11-15).

The “fruit of the Spirit” (evidence of the Holy Ghost working in us) will then be manifested in our lives: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22,23).

What does God want you to do? He (Jesus Christ) wants you to allow Him to live His life in and through you (Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:21) as your study and believe His Word His way (dispensationally).

What Does God Want Me to Do? #9

Friday, April 6, 2012

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 KJV).

What does God want you to do? He wants you the Christian to walk in an intelligent understanding of His Word to you (Paul’s epistles, Romans through Philemon).

Once you study, learn, and believe the King James Bible rightly divided (dispensationally), the indwelling Holy Ghost will use that sound Bible doctrine to work mightily in you (today’s Scripture). “…The word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). God wants to teach us Christians His doctrine, so we can then believe that doctrine, so He can then use that doctrine to form Christ Jesus in us (Galatians 4:19). Literally, the result will be “Christ [living] in us, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27; cf. Ephesians 3:16,17). “Christ… is our life” (Colossians 3:4). Galatians 2:20: “…Christ liveth in me….” Actually, our life is not our life; it is Christ living His life in and through us (Philippians 1:21).

Notice what the Apostle Paul wrote: “[Christ] Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect [spiritually mature] in Christ Jesus: whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily” (Colossians 1:28,29). The same Spirit of God that worked in Paul to accomplish his ministry now wants to do that same work in and through us!

God’s will is not so much for us to do His will, but for us to allow Him to accomplish His will in and through us as we cooperate by faith in His Word to us (“Without faith it is impossible to please [God];” Hebrews 11:6). God saved us, not simply to give us sinners an opportunity to avoid the hellfire that we deserve, but to make us trophies of His grace by Him doing the work in and through us (Ephesians 2:10).

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ [the rapture]” (Philippians 1:6).

What Does God Want Me to Do? #8

Thursday, April 5, 2012

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 KJV).

God wants to build Himself a house, a place in which He can not only live, but an habitation where He feels right at home! Will you let Him work in you to accomplish that goal?

In Ephesians chapter 2 (which I encourage you to read on your own), the Apostle Paul describes our sinful lifestyles and wicked nature before our salvation in Christ Jesus (verses 1-3). Verses 4-10 discuss how God saved us from sin and His wrath in order to make us His “workmanship” (creation). Verses 11 and 12 explain that when God dealt with Israel in “time past,” we Gentiles were “without Christ.” Verses 13-18 explain “but now,” in our Dispensation of Grace, God has removed the division between Jew and Gentile. God is now forming a spiritual body of believers, Jews and Gentiles. Why?

Verses 19-22 explain: “Now therefore ye [believing Gentiles] are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

God is forming the Church the Body of Christ so He can have a house (“an habitation”). Amazing, huh?! The Holy Spirit not only lives in us Christians (1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; 2 Timothy 1:14), He wants to also live through us—to manifest His life living in us, so the lost world can see our new lifestyles and glorify Him!! God wants to fill our minds with sound doctrine, which we gain from proper (dispensational) Bible study, so the Holy Spirit can then take that doctrine and work in us (1 Thessalonians 2:13), “both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (today’s Scripture).

The world cannot see Christ’s physical body; instead, they see Him living in us Christians!

What Does God Want Me to Do? #7

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 KJV).

Every person has an innate knowledge of the Creator God (Romans 1:17-23; Romans 2:14,15): those who deny His existence have a heart problem (a sinful heart; Jeremiah 17:9; Psalm 14:1; Psalm 53:1)! For those of us who are willing to submit to God’s authority, what exactly does God want us to do? God does exist; why do we?

People naturally seek purpose and meaning in life, but, sorrowfully, they usually never find them because they always look in the wrong places. Scientific analysis, although very interesting, is not the method whereby we learn our origin and our purpose. In order to learn God’s will, we need to look in the right place (the Bible!).

The Apostle Paul wrote, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;” (Ephesians 5:15-18).

As people who have trusted in Christ Jesus alone as our personal Saviour, God’s Holy Spirit wants to fill us—not to give us a “charismatic high,” but rather to transform us from the inside out. God does not want us Christians living carelessly: “walk circumspectly [carefully, cautiously], not as fools, but as wise….” God wants to fill us Christians with His Spirit so He can be glorified in our church families (Ephesians 5:19-21), our marriages and families (Ephesians 5:22–6:4), and our workplace (Ephesians 6:5-9).

God’s will is to “strengthen [us] with might by his Spirit in the inner man [soul]; that Christ may dwell in [our] hearts by faith” (Ephesians 3:16,17). The indwelling Holy Spirit wants to strengthen us with sound doctrine so Christ can live His life in and through us (cf. Galatians 2:20)! This is “Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith,” and this is God “working in [us] both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (today’s Scripture).

What Does God Want Me to Do? #6

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 KJV).

God’s will according to religion and God’s will according to the Bible are contradictory—only one can be right. If you want to know and do God’s will, look to the Bible, which is our final authority in all matters of faith and practice.

Religion causes us to have a superstitious understanding of God’s will. Does God want me to work here, or work there? Marry this person or that person? Buy this house, or that house? Attend school here, or there? Drive this vehicle, or that vehicle? Eat this, or that? Go here, or there? Beloved, God has given us doctrine to make those decisions, but ultimately, He has given us free will. God has not preselected our house, vehicle, spouse, or job: these are decisions we must make—God does not want robots (religion does!).

God’s will—His “eternal purpose” (Ephesians 3:11)—is to exalt Jesus Christ in heaven and on earth (Ephesians 1:9,10). Whenever faced with a decision, you need to ask yourself, “What decision will hinder God’s eternal purpose?” (Avoid that choice.) “What choice will accomplish God’s eternal purpose?” (Choose that alternative.) God’s will is “to have all men saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:3,4). God wants to use you to lead others to Jesus Christ and to use you to share sound Bible doctrine (dispensational Bible study) with others. Your purpose as a member of the Church the Body of Christ is to let Christ live His life in and through you, where you are now (your job, home, marriage, et cetera). That is God’s will for your life!

When you study and believe God’s Word dispensationally (understanding that Paul is your apostle, and our Dispensation of Grace is not associated with Israel’s Dispensation of Law), God the Holy Spirit will work in you, and fulfill His will in you (today’s Scripture), enabling you to make wise choices to prove/demonstrate God’s will—to glorify Christ (Romans 12:1,2).

What Does God Want Me to Do? #5

Monday, April 2, 2012

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 KJV).

God gave us the Bible so that we could learn what He is doing. We do not have to grope in spiritual darkness—although religion hopes that we do! Do you want to do God’s will? Find out what God is doing today, and then, by faith, GO DO THAT!

When we “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15), we understand that the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, is a giant timeline. God has divided, or segmented, His Word into dispensations, bodies of truth applicable during separate and distinct time periods when He deals with mankind differently. Never confuse the dispensations, or combine directions given in one dispensation with information given in another dispensation.

For instance, millions of church members have been taught that God wants them to “keep the Mosaic Law.” While God strictly commanded Israel to obey the Mosaic Law or suffer divine chastisement (Exodus 15:26; Leviticus 26:1-46; Deuteronomy 28:1-68), Paul writes to us in the Dispensation of Grace, “For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace” (Romans 6:14). God has replaced Israel’s performance-based acceptance system (legalism, Judaism) with His grace-based acceptance system.

God’s will for you is that you not “resurrect” the Mosaic Law, which was nailed to Calvary’s cross and crucified with Christ (Colossians 2:14; cf. Romans 3:21,22; Romans 7:4-6). Today, God’s grace, not the Mosaic Law, teaches us to live “soberly, righteously, and godly” (Titus 2:11,12). Grace shows us that we Christians have died with Christ, so sin is not who we are anymore (Romans 6:6-23; Romans 8:12-14; Romans 12:1,2; et al.).

If you want to let God “work in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (today’s Scripture), do not place yourself under religious bondage (legalism, performing religious duties to get God to accept or bless you). Your Christian life operates on the basis of God’s grace, Jesus Christ working and living in and through you (Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:21), not you striving to keep God happy (law-keeping).

What Does God Want Me to Do? #4

Sunday, April 1, 2012

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 KJV).

Today is April Fools’ Day, but our world abounds with fools year-round. According to God’s Word, who is foolish?

Reigning from 1050–1010 B.C., Saul was Israel’s first king. Mostly a bad king, he repeatedly attempted to kill righteous David (1 Samuel 18:29–19:24, for instance) and Saul even consulted a witch (1 Samuel 28:7-25). But there was one instance of evil (foolishness) that cost Saul his throne: “And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept [obeyed] the commandment of the LORD thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever” (1 Samuel 13:13).

The prophet Samuel told Saul to wait for him to offer a burnt offering (1 Samuel 13:8-12), but Saul proceeded to perform the offering without Samuel. God told Saul through Samuel, “Thou hast done foolishly.” Saul wanted to do his own thing (sin); he did not care what God’s spokesman said. Later on, Saul again ignored and disobeyed God’s Word (1 Samuel 15:2-35).

Sadly, lost people and most Christians are just as rebellious towards God’s Word as King Saul was. God’s spokesman to us Gentiles is the Apostle Paul (Romans 11:13; Romans 15:16; 2 Timothy 1:11), but few people know and most do not care to know. These people are just as foolish as Saul was because they ignore God’s Word to them. They follow God’s will for Israel (Old Testament, Four Gospel Records, Acts, Hebrews through Revelation).

If you want to know God’s will for you (today’s Scripture), you must go to Bible books which document God’s current dealings with man, Paul’s epistles of Romans through Philemon. Paul wrote, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 14:37).

When you ignore Paul’s letters, you ignore the commandments of God to us, and by doing so, “thou hast done foolishly!”

What Does God Want Me to Do? #3

Saturday, March 31, 2012

“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13 KJV).

To find God’s will for your life, you need not “endure” Hebrew and Greek. If you can read sixth-grade English (the King James Bible), then you can discover (and thereby appreciate) God’s overall plan for creation, thus learning God’s will for you.

The Bible says that God’s “eternal purpose”—His overall will for creation—is to exalt Jesus Christ in the heaven and in the earth (Ephesians 1:9,10; Ephesians 3:9-11; Colossians 1:16-20). While we are on earth, our lives should bring Jesus Christ glory and honor: it is God’s “good pleasure” to work in us to accomplish this (today’s Scripture). However, we are members of the Church the Body of Christ, so God’s primary goal is to one day take us to heaven and bring Him glory there (Ephesians 2:6,7).

People have utilized religious tradition to greatly confuse and complicate God’s will. Sadly, the average Christian never grasps exactly what God expects of them; what they are to believe and how their daily lives are to operate. No wonder the Body of Christ is so ineffective in reaching the lost!

God’s will is not as specific as religion teaches. Rather than trying to “discern” God’s will for your life through subjective means (hunches, weather, actions of others, religion, et cetera), you need to discover God’s will using objective means—the written, permanent, inerrant Word of God (the King James Bible).

What would God have you to do, fellow Christian? God’s Word points us to salvation in Christ and educates us regarding life’s situations. Paul is our apostle (Romans 11:13; Romans 15:16; 2 Timothy 1:11); consult his epistles first regarding all matters/situations. If Romans through Philemon are silent about the matter, then, and ONLY THEN, seek counsel from the remaining Bible books. In the event these books are silent about the issue, then, and ONLY THEN, should you seek outside (extra-Biblical) advice, bearing in mind that this extra-Biblical advice should not contradict the Bible (especially Paul’s epistles).