Understand The Will Of The Lord

Many thoughts today...

"Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ." - Ephesians 5:17-21 ESV

Maybe we can look at this phrase 'understand what the will of the Lord is' and it translates in our mind as 'knowing what to do next' but really it is 'knowing how to live life'.

Wisdom creates a priority system that excludes regret. It is value system. Wisdom lets us respond instead of react. Wisdom gives us a way of escape so we don't have to live in self-medication. Guilt has a solution.

"Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding." - Proverbs 4:5-7 KJV

Jesus Is the Living Word. He Is wisdom incarnate. Knowing Him will shape our value system. He reveals God as gracious. His good news is pure and powerful. It doesn't bring people into bondage. It frees hearts and minds.

The Gospel is the 'will of God' for mankind.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." - John 3:16-18 ESV

That is God's will for this moment in history. Will we embrace it and enter into an experience of His favor or will we drift with nothing to sing about in a continual pursuit of vain pleasure that can never satisfy the deepest needs of our soul?

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