We are all on a quest. This quest can drive us mad. We struggle in life and wonder how to find out God’s will for us. We have talked about these briefly in previous posts:
1. The Quest
When we begin to communicate with God, we form a habit of reading the Bible and praying to God. This habit will cause us to question our beliefs, our ways of life, and challenge us to respond. This is where many have the question: “How are we to live as God wants us to?”
God has always wanted a family that partners with Him. We find this in Gen 1:26
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
The God who rules over everything made us. He made us his co-rulers or regents or ambassadors. Over time, humans fell out with God and were expelled from the garden of Eden. The humans fell out with God because of their desire to not be under anyone and have to struggle with the nitty-gritty of a partnership!
Gen 3:6
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
In the chaotic and broken world that resulted from humans falling out with God, He desired for humans to get back to Him and partner with Him. Only then would they be able to navigate life on the earth that God has created and live life the way He meant for life to be!
Gen 12:1-3
1 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
Abram’s partnership with God was supposed to bring other people into fellowship with the God who created them and therefore bring blessings upon them. In other words, bringing humanity back to the garden of Eden.
This might seem strange that God wants a partnership!
Isn’t God all-powerful to do anything?
Yes, He is.
Isn’t God capable of making all people follow Him?
Yes, He can; but that will be called forceful subjugation. He wants us to follow and partner with Him of our own choice, not with coercion!
God created humans as creatures who can think, reason and partner with Him. There is another species created by God with these same attributes! We may call them supernatural: Angels! In the Bible we see Angels partnering with God which provide us with examples of how God actively partners with his creation.
Instance 1: the death of King Ahab - 1 Kings 22: 19-22
19 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. 20 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’
“One suggested this, and another that. 21 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’
22 “ ‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.
“ ‘I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.
“ ‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’
Was it impossible or difficult for God to kill one man? No. However, it is in God’s nature to include His created beings in matters of this world! Let’s look at another!
Instance 2: Nebuchadnezzar’s descent to madness – Daniel 4:17
17 “ ‘The decision is announced by messengers [angels], the holy ones declare the verdict, so that the living may know that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes and sets over them the lowliest of people.’
It seems like there was a group discussion and a joint decision was made to make Nebuchadnezzar to be made as an animal until he recognized who really ruled over everything! The verdict was given and announced by Angels!
Restoring the partnership:
This world is filled with people who are breaking partnerships and forming their own kingdoms. These kingdoms define what is good and evil on their own terms. The result is a broken world filled with violence, discrimination, and oppression!
When Jesus rose again from the dead, His power was evident. Death had no hold on Him. This means that He is God and the Ruler of everything! According to His rules, He could very well go out into the world giving out punishments. Instead, He did something different!
Matt 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Christians call this the Great Commission! Those who believe in Jesus live under His Kingship. As Christians we are called to partner in His cause: to bring back everyone to partner with God. The outcome is the same as the Abrahamic promise. This will bring a change in our lives and relationships which will transform the earth so much that it will be called a New Heaven and New Earth! This topic deserves its own post!
What do we do now?
We are all on a quest. Life is hard. We hope to have success in life. We need to communicate with God to understand his desires for humanity and our lives. God says that success should involve good relationships! When this happens, for example, your interactions in your workplace will focus on building positive relationships with everyone you encounter including your boss, coworkers, and even the company’s customers. With a focus towards following the Great Commission, you will no longer be inclined to have a bad attitude about your work because you hate your boss or the company you work in. Instead, we are called to do our work wholeheartedly and as a service for the Lord.
Colossians 3:23-24
23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Here’s what John the Baptist said to people who asked him about God’s way of living:
Luke 3:10-14
10 “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
11 John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”
13 “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
14 Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”
In today’s world, this is not so easy to follow. We call it a ‘dog-eat-dog’ world where everyone is out to get the best only for their own selves. There is so much competition, injustice, retaliation, etc. In a world like this, God is calling us to live a Holy life, i.e., a different way of life. We find these ideas in both the Old Testament and the New Testament!
Micah 6:8
8 He has shown you, O mortal, what is good.
And what does the Lord require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Zechariah 7:9-10
9 “This is what the Lord Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. 10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’
James 1:27
27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Do you see a recurring theme? This is a life that cares for others and this world. It requires us to have a love that is different from what we are used to!
John 13:34 – 35
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
How are we going to apply all of this? Read God’s word and wrestle with it. It will challenge us to change our ways. A way that will bring blessings to all those around us!
Thank you for reading this far! If you enjoyed this and you are in Bangalore, please do join us for worship. Our Young Adults Fellowship meets on the 2nd & 3rd Sundays every month after church. You can look up our ministries and schedules here.
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