As Christians, we are blessed with God's gift of free will. Through this divine gift, we have been given the opportunity to develop an authentic relationship with our Creator. Instead of being robots whose every decision is dictated by the Sovereignty of our Master, we have been given the ability to make independent choices; whether to be influenced by the moral character of God, and to act on those choices -- or to choose our own path based on our human desires, independent of God's will.
Of course, non-believers will say they are equally capable of making moral decisions, too. But when moral standards are defined by our culture [instead of God's universal moral principles], we usually find that what is considered right or wrong, good or evil, varies significantly between different people groups. When there is no uniform standard of morality, and no acceptance of God's supreme authority in the world, it can lead to chaos and undesirable consequences in our lives. In addition, when there is no understanding of God in our life, or that His will for us is always good, acceptable, and perfect [Romans 12:2], man can be tempted to follow his own will and desires, with the ultimate purpose of pleasing himself.
My primary reason for writing this post is to speak to my fellow Christians about guarding our minds and hearts, and to encourage each of you to always seek the will of God. As a Christian, it is my desire to become more like Christ; to grow in my identity in Him, so that others will be encouraged to transform their lives [and this earth] to become like God intended. But, unfortunately, from God's first relationship with man in the Garden of Eden, up to this very day, thousands of years later, we as humans, tend to desire our own will, and have suffered the consequences.
Like many in the family of God, I can honestly testify that I have suffered the consequences of walking outside my Father's will. Thankfully, those choices came in my younger years, and I've had the opportunity to recognize the errors of my ways; both spiritual and physical. Neglecting God's authority over my life, and His purpose for my path, resulted in misalignment with His Divine plan. Needless to say, those weren't very productive times in my life. But I'm grateful for the lessons learned, and the repentance that led to maturing in my spiritual walk, and growth in my relationship with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
As simple as it may sound, it all comes down to this ... we want what we want; we desire what pleases us above what pleases our Creator and Father in Heaven. Adam and Eve proved that, and set the pattern for all mankind. They knew God's will. He laid it out for them in exact terms; pure and simple ... "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die". But they chose to use their precious divine gift of free will to act in agreement with man's enemy, who told them, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
And here's the rest of that portion of Scripture that is at the heart of what I'm trying to express ... "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate". This is all about Eve determining that the fruit of the tree [she was forbidden to eat] offered pleasure, and that appealed to her more than obeying the LORD God. The enemy in the garden promised if she used her free will to accept his temptation to disobey God, she could actually become like God. And the human race has paid the consequences to this day.
You see, the only way we can become like God is to follow Jesus Christ's example. He shows us the way in a passage in John 6, verses 38-46: "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should lose nothing of all that He has given Me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day." A little further in that passage, Jesus says "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him." And again, He says, "And they will all be taught by God".
We can infer from this passage that it pleases God that His Son, Jesus, is willing to do His Father's will, rather than His own. And God wants Jesus to not lose one person that He [the Father] draws to the Son. Furthermore, God's pleasure includes the obedience of those in mankind that receive His calling on their lives, and who are willing to walk in God's purpose for them. Paul confirms this truth in Philippians 2:13 ... "For God is the One working in you, both to will and to work on behalf of His good pleasure".
So, this is where we need to come in our journey of understanding: We have been created for His good pleasure! And when we bow to His will, rather than our own, our purpose on this earth will be revealed day by day. And that's where the fulfillment comes from. I can speak to that from personal experience. I have shared this before, but my testimony is a perfect example of what that fulfillment looks like. Nearly 20 years ago, I had a chance [divine] encounter with a man I did not know, but who told me he had a word from the Lord for me. You have to understand, at that time in my walk with the Lord, I wasn't very experienced in hearing from the Lord, so when a stranger tells me God spoke to him about me ... let's just say I was a little skeptical.
But this man revealed something that I had not shared with anyone on earth. Since I was a child, I wanted to be a writer. I'd write stories in my bedroom while in elementary school. I had a few episodes of writing for a local newspaper while in high school, and some interviews for an informal music publication in college. By the time I met this man many years had passed and now that desire was a dream unfulfilled. But when he told me that the Lord had spoken to him, and wanted me to "become the pen, not the blank piece of paper", I was astounded. How did you know I always wanted to write? was my astonished response! He said, God made you to write and it pleases Him when you do what He made you to do. He wants you to write -- not to have a #1 best seller, or to make a million dollars -- write just to please Him!
This may not seem an earth-shattering event to you, but it has changed my life and my sense of who I am. That chance encounter led to me spending nearly three years writing a novel; just for the purpose of pleasing my Father in Heaven. To be doing what He made me to do brought me so much joy and I will tell you that the story, characters, and words just flowed from my mind. There were days I didn't remember writing those pages that began to pile up. I truly felt the presence of the Holy Spirit as He guided me through that process. And I sensed the pleasure of the Father that I was writing for Him! That project then led to hearing His voice tell me to start this blog 15 years ago (including 2,709 posts); again to write for Him, encouraging anyone who finds this little commentary useful in their relationship with the Lord. I have self-published a couple of books, and have another one in the developing stage.
My life has been a testimony of the consequences of seeking my own will, and the blessings of pleasing God when I choose to follow His will. It is very clear to me that my free will is a reflection of God's love for me. When I can set my path on fulfilling His purpose for my life, I receive far more than anything I could ask for, or even dare to think. And the best part of that is knowing that I am most pleased when pleasing Him! Thank you, Lord, for the gift of free will! For me, it means eternal joy in Your Presence!
Colossians 1:9-10 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
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