June 24, 2007

• Joseph: Living in God’s Will    (8.5 mb, 28 minutes, 9 seconds)  So, what does it mean to live in God’s will? We can look at the life of Joseph from the book of Genesis to get some strong clues. As we go through life…..stuff happens……we often don’t know why. We often react, we often feel sorry for ourselves….we sometimes get bitter….we look for the bad and ignore the good. Do you wonder sometimes if God has deserted you, or if your life has any purpose at all? If so, maybe you need to go back to God…. recognize that He is in control.. I like to say….and I believe this with all of my heart………that when I lived in my will….my life is chaotic and I seemed to always make the wrong decisions. When I live in God’s will, when I look to Him for those answers……..he does….he answers……life is less chaotic and I make decisions that help my life rather than take me further down the wrong path. 1. Living in God’s will means making the best of bad situations. I like to say that the problems themselves in our life are not the point…it’s how we chose to handle those problems that IS the point. What is your BAD news? We CHOSE to allow it to continue to be bad…or we can CHOSE to allow God to work in those situations. God can turn something bad into something good. How do we do that ?  By Looking to God for answers rather than ourselves. 2. Living in God’s will means maintaining your principles even when inconvenient. Do you realize that just like if your child comes to you and says “Look, I have a new this or that” and you realize that it was not theirs, it was stolen………well….you can’t bless that can ya? To live in God’s will we must live in a way that God can bless. Living in God’s will means doing what is right in the eyes of God. How can we expect God to bless us if we are doing wrong? How could God bless Joseph if he was having an affair? How can God bless me if I am stealing at work? Or if I hurt people with my words? Or any number of other things. Living in God’s will means listening to His wisdom and doing that which is blessable. Here’s a thought for you: When we fight temptation on what we consider are these small levels…….it makes it easier to fight temptation on the higher levels. God can only bless that which is right. 3. Living in God’s will means recognizing God is in control. 4. Living in God’s will means recognizing the presence of God in your life. If we look for God in our life……..we will see Him working….we will see Him comforting us… and yes…..sometimes disciplining us, loving us, and teaching us! Remember Joseph?   In everything that happened to him, nothing ever caused him to give up on God. In fact, everything that happened to him only drew him closer to God. Do you notice the presence of God in your life? We can only recognize God’s will if we are looking for it. If we go to God daily and allow Him to be our refuge and our strength. If we confide in God….He will answer our hearts. Deitrich Bonhoeffer once said, “Of course, not everything that happens is simply, ‘God’s will’, and yet in the last resort nothing happens WITHOUT or Father’s will’. Look at Matthew 10:29 (I like the New Living Translation here), “What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it.” In other words, in all situations….we have access to God. May YOU be humble each day and look to God for all things in your life……..may YOU rejoice in His presence and trust in His wisdom …… may YOU live a life in God’s will and…… May YOU receive peace and comfort in all that is offered you. Direct download: 20070624_Joseph-Jan.mp3

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