Pursuing God’s Will and Aligning Our Hearts with the Heart of God
“For each one of us, there is only one thing indispensable; to fulfill our God given purpose, according to His will, to be what God wants us to be, to reach our destiny.”
“The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17)
The visible world we see around us is not the real world. That may come as a shock to many in this materialistic age. We can also add that the body we are presently living in is not our real body. With these two statements we should quickly realize that a great percentage of our efforts in life are being spent chasing after things that are not really real. How sad it is that our time in pursuit of real and lasting things accounts for such a minute fraction of our lifespan on this planet. Everything in this world is important and is placed here to help us understand and proceed to the world that is real. All the things we see were created by a loving God. All these things are vitally important to us, and we must be good stewards of them, but these things do not make up the real and lasting world that we should be seeking.
The Greek philosopher Socrates made this statement:"Oh that someone would arise, man or god, to show us God."In the minds of scholars, here's one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived; and yet he, himself, had beating in his own breast—and he admitted it—oh that god could come in a man and show the world god in human form. Plato, who was one of the great students of Socrates, said, "Unless a god man comes to us and reveals to us the Supreme Being, there is no help or hope." Again, Plato said, “The world will never be set right until the perfect man arises who will be persecuted, buffeted, and tied to a stake and so bring a new righteousness."
Now please take note. Plato did not know about what he was talking, but he almost hit the nail on the head. The pursuit of the Hebrews was idealized and symbolized by light. '"The pursuit of the Greeks was symbolized by knowledge. For the Hebrews, it was light. For the Greeks, it was knowledge. "For the Romans, it was glory. The apostle Paul, a Hebrew by birth, a citizen of Rome, living in a Greek city, had to give to them the ideal of his ethic. And he says this: 'God, who caused the light to shine out of darkness, has caused His light to shine in our hearts, to give to us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ Jesus our Lord.' "For the apostle Paul, the ultimate ethic was not an abstraction, not symbolized merely by light, not merely by knowledge, not merely by glory, but in the very face of our Lord. Jesus” so bible says in 2 Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ."
Bible says “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”(Romans 5:8) One of the greatest truths Prophet Jonah reveals in the scripture is that “Salvation and deliverance belong to the Lord!” (Jonah 2:9b.AMP)
David, the ancient Jewish king , best framed the question in its universal relevance when he addressed it to God:“When I see Your heavens, the works of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is mortal man, that You remember him, And the son of man, that You visit him?”
David's son and successor to the throne, Solomon, received valuable wisdom regarding his father's question. Although he could not answer it, he elegantly identified its source: "God," he wrote in the poem Ecclesiastes, "has placed eternity in men's hearts." Understanding eternity to be "a divinely implanted sense of a purpose," Solomon's statement sheds much light on this mysterious purpose which we are seeking: a God who implants a sense of purpose within man must Himself be a God of purpose. In other words, Solomon's discovery implies what we have always sensed to be true but may not have had words to express: God has an eternal purpose.
What the restlessness in God's heart moved Him to do is almost beyond our power to fathom: God created man as the unique one with whom He would fulfill His purpose. God made us in His image and according to His likeness, similar to Him in every respect. For example, God is love, which is why we have a virtue called love; God is perfect, so we have an aspiration for perfection; God is just, so we have a sense of right and justice. In fact, every one of our positive attributes is a reflection of who and what God is.
But the similarity does not stop there. Perhaps our chief similarity to God is His very own sense of purpose which He duplicated in us at the time of our creation. Because He needs us for the fulfillment of His eternal purpose, He created in us a matching need for satisfaction which can only be met when His purpose is accomplished. Thus, by virtue of our creation by God, we cannot be satisfied until He fulfills His purpose. Is it any wonder that despite our accomplishments, education, entertainment, pleasure, and even religion, we are left empty and seeking? These things do not fulfill God's purpose; hence neither can they satisfy us. By replicating in man His own sense of purpose and need for satisfaction, God took a momentous step in fulfilling His eternal purpose.
Note the earlier quoted verse “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; “(Ecclesiastes 3:11) this means we are never going to be satisfied with earthly pleasures and pursuits. Because we are created in God's image, we have a spiritual thirst. We have eternal value and nothing but the eternal God can satisfy us.
Scripture also teaches that no amount of human goodness, human works, human morality, or religious activity can gain acceptance with God or get anyone into heaven. The moral men, the religious man, immoral and non-religious are all in the same boat. They all fall short of God’s perfect righteousness. After discussing the immoral man, the moral man, and the religious man in Romans 1:18-3:8, the Apostle Paul declares that “there is no one righteous, not even one” (Rom. 3:9-10). No amount of human goodness is as good as God. God is perfect righteousness.
God has built in us a restless yearning for the kind of perfect world that can only be found in a perfect rule. He has given us a glimpse of the perfection of his creation. But it is only a glimpse; we cannot see into the future or comprehend everything. So we must trust Him now and do his work on earth." Therefore the key to excellence of life is to be centered on God’s principles. We’re not in control; God is in control. We’re arrogant when we think we are in control. Yes, we may control our actions, but not the consequences of our actions. Those are controlled by God’s eternal laws. You can make your own choice, because God has given you free will. But He has also given you a specific, custom-fitted plan for your lives. His plan for your life is different than His plan for mine. In this exciting journey, you will learn to see life from a different perspective. No matter what your circumstances, God can gather up the broken pieces and random elements of your life and form them into a beautiful mosaic—making you a useful vessel for His glory.
Although our soul longs for God, our sinful nature rebels at His ways. Part of us yearns for God and part of us reaches for fleshly desires. Our hearts are a battleground of continual conflict. This inner struggle causes tension and excessive strain. Without God we are “like troubled sea. When it cannot rest. Whose water cast up mire and dirt” (Isaiah 57:20)There can be no peace until all of life- mind, body, and spirit- are coordinated by the One who made us and understands us. He is not only master of the world but knows your life and mine from the beginning to the end. He invites you to come to Him. “Come unto me, all ye that labbour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28). When you come to Him, you will find relief and relaxation in the freedom He gives. Your peace will be as a river. (Isaiash 48:18)- An active, sparkling peace that is refreshing and strong, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 5:7). Will you come to Jesus, casting your burden upon Him? He says, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.. Let not you heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”(John 14:27).
The Bible makes it very clear that the world around us will not last. When we look at the Book of Revelation the passing of this world is painted for us in most vivid detail. Because of man’s evil and rebellion, there will finally be a succession of plagues including blood, contamination, crashing asteroids, gigantic eruptions,
supernatural locust invasions, disruption of heavenly bodies, etc. When these dreadful plagues are all finished the world and universe as we know them will be finished too. Billions of godless people will die in the process. This is God’s judgment by fire of which 2 Peter 3:7 speaks: “By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of Judgment and
destruction of ungodly men” ( Mal. 4:1). The good news is that even though the world is lost, the righteous will survive as we mentioned earlier in 1 John. Then the Bible assures us that we will forever enjoy a new heaven and new earth (2 Pet. 3:13).
All this should not surprise us because we see the world’s passing illustrated every day of our lives. For instance, we see our own physical bodies passing away. Long ago the sin virus crept into the Garden of Eden, and we understand that death has resulted because of it (Rom. 5:14). Indeed, the Bible states quite simply: “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Not only do our bodies die, but we are also watching our whole creation decay and pass away. Sin has deeply affected our world and cosmos. Because of it there is death, destruction and decay all around us. The apostle Paul speaks of the creation as being in pain concerning this:
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time” (Rom. 8:22).
He makes clear that the creation is groaning for deliverance from the corruption of sin. This may all sound a bit pessimistic but it should be noted that some of our leading scientists and physicists are beginning to share similar views. For instance, the second law of thermodynamics states that the energy in our universe is being used up; that the universe is actually decaying at a given rate. This is the very thing that Hebrews 1:11-12 talks about when it speaks of the world’s demise in relation to Jesus: “They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe.” So we see that Jesus is the real and lasting one. It is actually Jesus who will orchestrate this evil world’s judgment and ultimate demise.
The world will pass away. You were born with nothing and you can take nothing with you. Where will you be 100 years from now? 99% of the earth's population will ALL be dead 100 years from now. What will anything matter then? What will all of the money, fame, and pleasure in this world matter when we are dead and gone?.Bible says. “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.” (1st Timothy 6:7).
Do we not realize that nothing will matter 100 years from now except what we did with Jesus Christ and the Word of God? In fact, everything we own will one day be returned to the dust of the earth from which it came. So many people want to fight, go to court, and get even with others over money and materialistic Things. Friends, the best things in life aren’t things. Life itself is a miracle of God. The ability to go to work is a gift from God. Our health is a gift from God. Children are a gift from God. Yet, so many people take it all for granted and ignore God by rejecting the inspired Word of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Dear friends Beyond the shores of time and the kingdoms of this world there is a kingdom called the Heaven. It is the place where God has His great white throne, around which the angels play upon their golden harps and shout, “praise, and glory, and wisdom, and thanks and honor, and power, and strength, be to our God forever and ever.”(Revelation 7:12). The life beyond death depends on the life here. If we live in humble obedience to God on earth then we will be with Him forever in that celestial holy city of Heaven.
No one who is not saved from sin here can be saved from hell hereafter. No one can see the kingdom of Heaven above, unless the kingdom of God be in him below. Whoever will reign with Christ in heaven, must have Christ reigning in him on earth. Therefore let our whole life flow out in a trend with the word of God, until it wears a channel in holiness and Divine character. If you are born of God, if God has planted in you divine life, which, in theology is called regeneration. If there has been a birth from God, there will also be growth from God.
"If you don’t make a decision, then time will make it for you, and time will always side against you.The strongest principle of life and blessings lies in our choice. Our life is the sum result of all the choices we make, both consciously and unconsciously. If we can control the process of choosing, we can take control of all aspects of our life. We can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of our life. So start with what is right rather than what is acceptable.” (Billy Graham)
