E-couragement 07.26

The King’s Will: If I knew with absolute certainty what the will of the King was in any situation or circumstance, would I do what it takes to align with it? Would I commit to actions that may not align with my own desires; or a direction that seems a little off center from what I have been taught in B-school; or decisions that don’t fit the T chart model I am comfortable with? Would you?

Obedience is definitely one of the prerequisites to pleasing God. Obedience through faith is something he rewards fully. Even obedience with a little doubt is okay. What causes us to stumble is disobedience. Let’s assume we will be obedient if we knew for certainty the good, pleasing and perfect will of the King. We have quite another problem if, even after knowing His will, we would choose to disobey.

Here is my problem. I am having, and have had, a very hard time knowing that good pleasing and perfect will. I am not talking about the commandment will; the “thou shalt not and thou shalt” will of God. That is pretty clear to me and it is also clear when I disobey (sin) and miss that mark. But what about the decisions and direction we face every day at work. Should we hire that person; sign the agreement; produce the product; take the new job; sell part of the company; partner with her – and a thousand smaller decisions that affect our lives in a very real way? Does God have a “will” for these kinds of decisions, or are we left on our own as long as we obey the commands?

Theologians continue to debate this issue but we can’t afford to debate; we have to decide. Is God concerned with and committed to reveal His “good, pleasing and perfect will” in every situation in our lives? That is the ultimate question. If He is, and if I am fully committed to obey, then my business decisions matter more, and when lined up with His will, I cannot fail. At least in terms of eternal impact, I cannot fail. This is not about worldly success but all about eternal impact.

Recently I had a revelation concerning this very issue and it is this: The only way we can know the perfect will for any decision, no matter how small, is by abiding in Christ; allowing His mind to become our mind. For “we are being transformed”, “by the renewing of our minds, into the likeness of Christ”; for “we have the mind of Christ.”

Then we will know for certainty. Then we can obey with certainty. Then we will be useful stewards in the business world; less likely to be owners and more likely to be transformers.

It all starts with abiding. He is the root. We are the branch. The fruit the branch produces is dictated by our connection to the root, not to our own abilities. To produce “much fruit” we must be an open conduit for the life of Christ.

“Seek first the Kingdom, and all these things will be added.”  All these things are the ones we seem to want to take care of when in fact we ought to let Him add “all these things” as he reveals His perfect will. All we must do is abide; daily, hourly, in the midst of the chaos of business. Then obey!

“Father, how hard it is for me to hear. How often I pull away from the root and try things on my own, out of my own strength or skill or knowledge. How foolish I have been. Please Lord, reveal to me your will as I abide in you. Help me cling to you, to your word, to your Spirit within. Help me to slow down and listen and then to obey, without fear or hesitation. Give me the certainty of your will and the faith to obey. Thank you Father. Amen.”