By the Will of God -- 2 Timothy 1:1

2 Timothy 1:1


"Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, for the sake of the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus" (NRSV)

There are two reasons that we serve God, two reasons which are intertwined, which cannot be separated. We serve first because it is His will that we do so. For some, that seems unreasonable; it makes God a "user." They think that He simply uses people for His own purposes and that such an act is disrespectful.

But what if He does? God is more than just God. He is the Creator of all things, all things, including time, including matter, including life itself. And as Creator, He has the full authority and right to do what He wants with what He created.

"Woe to those who seek deep to hide their counsel far from the Lord, and their works are in the dark; they say, "Who sees us?" and, "Who knows us?" Surely you have things turned around! Shall the potter be esteemed as the clay; for shall the thing made say of him who made it, "He did not make me"? Or shall the thing formed say of him who formed it, "He has no understanding"?" (Isaiah 29:15-16)

"But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this?’ Does not the potter have power over the clay?" (Romans 9:20-21a NKJV).

We have, as Americans, become so accustomed to the idea that we are self-determining, as Christians we often forget that we don’t own ourselves; we are owned—and always have been—by the Creator of the universe. It is only His amazing mercy that allows us to run around with the foolish notion that we somehow are independent of Him or that we can exist in autonomy.

But the fact is God doesn’t "use" us at all! Rather He has created a plan in which the Church partners with Him in the most amazing act of all, the ongoing rule of creation. Billheimer, in Destined for the Throne, writes:

"The primary purpose of the universe from all eternity is the production and preparation of an Eternal Companion for the Son, called the Bride, the Lamb’s Wife. Since she is to share the throne of the universe with her Divine Lover and Lord, privileged to judge the world with Him, she must be trained, educated, and prepared for her role."

So we serve God because it’s His will that we do so. He has a divine purpose in this will and that purpose has always been to prepare us for what lies ahead in eternity.

Paul found himself an apostle by the will of God. It wasn’t in Paul’s plan to find himself there, but once he was redirected by God, Paul realized that this was his life’s purpose, not only by godly design, but also by his own desire. Serving as an apostle was Paul’s great joy in life:

"For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Corinthians 15:9-10a NKJV).

When we serve God, He doesn’t want our service to be grudging or limited, but rather He desires that we freely serve Him, trusting Him that His will is best for us, that His grace will make us who we were always intended to be. "By the grace of God, I am what I am," Paul writes. Paul saw who he was prior to becoming saved and now sees himself as someone who is at the center of God’s will, not because of what he did, because of God’s grace. That’s exactly what we need to do; surrender ourselves to God’s will, knowing that His will is the very best place for us to be.

We also serve God because of those around us, those who desperately need the good news of Jesus Christ, those who need to know that they are loved, that they have value, that there is a better way than their self-destructive lives. You see, it doesn’t matter what we do or where we are headed. If we are doing those things, heading that way, outside of God’s will, we are heading for destruction. Plain and simple. There are no gray areas in life, no time-outs, no neutral choices. We are either moving toward God or moving away from Him. We are either surrendering to His will or living in rebellion. And the only place to find peace, to find purpose is in His will. Why? Because that’s how He created us! He created us to become an eternal companion for His Son, to become the Bride of the Christ! Every single person who ever lived or who will ever lived was created for this purpose. And then, because this is truly a love story, God gave us the free will to reject Him so that when we do embrace Him, it is with a heart freely given.

As Christians, we have the highest calling: to do the will of God which is for the sake of the promise of life in Jesus Christ. The purpose of His will is to give life and to give it more abundantly that we could ever imagine (John 10:10). Living out the will of God in our lives isn’t some kind of prison sentence, but rather a complete freeing of who we were created to be. When we give up "our" hopes and dreams and allow God to direct our paths, life will become far greater, far more exciting than we had ever imagined.

Isn’t it time we let the Creator have a say in what His creations should do? Isn’t it time we truly trusted God with our lives?

© 2015 Robin L. O’Hare. All Rights Reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.

Adoption

Ephesians 1:3-5: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will” (NKJV)

Everyone wants to belong to someone or something. It’s why some people identify with their ethnicity or the country of their ancestors: “I’m Hispanic” or “I’m African-American” or “I’m Irish.” It’s why some people identify with a certain sports team: “I’m a 49ers fan” or “I’m a Yankees fan.” It’s why others identify with their generation: “I’m a Gen Xer” or “I’m a Boomer.”

Everyone wants to belong.

Another way to look at belonging is to look at one’s ancestry. Our first grandchild is due this summer and our daughter-in-law is building the baby’s family tree. She asked my help and I’m doing as much as I can, considering that much of what I know is still in storage (from when we lost our house). But as I was working on the family tree, I realized something.

I don’t know where I belong.

You see, I’m adopted. So I can do the family trees of my adopted parents, but because the adoption was closed, I can’t do the adoption of my blood parents.

I don’t know where I belong . . . as far as this life goes. But it doesn’t matter, because I know where I belong for eternity. You see, I’ve been adopted twice! And while my first adoption gave me a wonderful mom and dad, it’s that second adoption that really matters because it’s that second adoption that brought me into the family of God.

We often, mistakenly, talk in America about how everybody is our brother or sister, how we are all children of God. The Bible doesn’t teach that. What the Bible does teach is that each person is a creation of God, beloved to the point that He gave His Son for each one’s salvation (if only they accept Him). But only those who believe become His sons and daughters! Only those who believe are adopted according to His good pleasure.

So, it doesn’t matter that I can’t actually trace my ancestral roots. In a family tree, I actually exist without a mother or father . . . and it’s not important. Because the family that does matter, the Father Who matters above everyone else, has already adopted me and placed me in His family!

I’m adopted . . . and I know to Whom I belong!

© 2011 Robin L. O’Hare. All rights reserved. Permission granted for nonprofit and church groups to use this article in its entirety (including this notice). For other uses, please contact servinggodalone@yahoo.com.