In 1 Peter 4 we are told to not live as the world around us lives, but rather our lives should reflect God’s will. This has gotten me thinking about this subject of God’s will, not the “Oh this must have been God’s will”, rather I am wondering if there is not a “universal” God’s will as well as God’s will for our life as an individual.
Here are a couple of thoughts about God’s will for all Christ-followers. I start in Matt 22 where Jesus is confronted by the Pharisees and responds to their question about the greatest commandment by telling them that we need to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and to love our neighbors. From this I see God’s will as loving Him and loving others. This to me seems the foundation for living out God’s will. If we love God and love others we will naturally want to share the Gospel message with them (i.e. the great commission). Loving God would hopefully lead us into wanting a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him, growing to be more like Him, allowing the fruits of the Spirit to flow through us and out of us to those around us.
More to come on this later…