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What Should I Do? (Part 3)
All right, here's one more thing to add when we think about how am I going to find and follow God's will for my life?
James 4:15-17
All right, here’s one more thing to add when we think about how am I going to find and follow God’s will for my life? Determining what God’s will is, is relatively simple. We look at what His Word says, and we see if is this according to God’s will or not? We don’t look at our feelings and try and just feel out what I feel like must be the direction. But look at his word, and then if the options are according to his will, go and do that. Now, what kind of option should we be looking for? Listen to some more of these verses from James chapter four.
Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them. (James 4:15-17)
So we can see God’s law working in our heart as a mirror here. He shows us not just sins that we commit the sins of commission, but also sins of omission, that God gives us all these opportunities. And when we know good that we can do and we don’t do it, that’s sinful too. We need a Savior, and we have a Savior for that, even for our sins of omission, the good that we didn’t do. Jesus came and he looked at people. And the Bible says that he saw them, and he had compassion on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He went and he rescued and saved and helped them physically and ultimately took their sins and our sins to the cross.
And that empowers us to also use these words as a guide for us, right? He says, if anyone knows the good they ought to do. They should do it. So what is according to God’s will? Well, look at all the stations in life that God has placed you in, and start there and look for good that you might be able to do.
Are you a mom or a dad? There are probably opportunities for you to do good in your family, your spouse, your children. Who can you help? Are you an employee or an employer? Look for good. Look for people that you can help as you go about your day to day life. Stop and listen and hear people’s story and see what they’re going through because there’s probably opportunity for good. He says watch out for arrogant schemes. And that happens because arrogance is when we’re mostly thinking about ourselves, he says instead, look to others.
As we look for ways to follow God’s will, maybe your prayer will be God, show me opportunities to do good. Show me your Son who looked for opportunities and was good already in my place. And then empower me to follow your will as I serve others.
