The Practical Pursuit of God’s Pleasure – An Unexpected Consideration

In our pursuit of God’s pleasure, which is to say, our pursuit of His will, I have tried to make two important points these past two weeks. First, God’s will is not, at it’s core, about a list of predetermined decisions that we have to get right. It’s about representing Him and reflecting His character.

Second, God does not score us against some standardized scale of performance. He is not our Examiner, He is our Father, Who, through faith in Jesus, has given us His nature, and Who delights in watching us grow increasingly into His likeness.

Clearing these issues up is critical. Otherwise, the misconceptions leave us chasing a notion of God’s will that has no more substance than a truckload of post holes. For you nautical types, that’s a lot like a boatload of sailboat fuel.

This week, I was ready to look at knowing God’s will/desires at a personal level. But in my time with Him this morning, I realized that there is another common, and fatal, misconception that frequents our notions of God’s will.  I’ll let Peter introduce it -

“Therefore, those also who suffer according to the will of God…” (1 Peter 4:19 NAS95).

Did you catch that? At least for some, God’s will involves suffering. Read more

The Practical Pursuit of God’s Pleasure – Sons & Daughters of the Father

In our pursuit of God’s pleasure, we’ve discovered that this pursuit is not a leisurely endeavor, as though it were over and above the pursuit of His will, but that the two are one and the same. The pursuit of God’s heart, of His pleasure, is the pursuit of His will.

And, we’ve discovered that His will, His heart, is not a mysterious list of questions for which we must get the answers right. Simply put, His will is that we represent Him. That we look like our Father. That we manifest His character.

But, after a moments thought, this doesn’t offer a lot of comfort. Before, the problem was that we weren’t sure what we were supposed to do. Now that we have an idea of what is required, the problem has shifted to a whole new level. We’ve moved from uncertainty to impossibility. If God’s will is that I represent Him, that I manifest His character, well, that requires perfection and seems impossible.

Except it’s not. Read more

The Practical Pursuit of God’s Pleasure – Knowing God’s Heart/Will

So, we are exploring how we pursue God’s pleasure. We’ve discovered that this pursuit is not a leisurely endeavor, as though it were over and above the pursuit of His will, but that the two are one and the same. The pursuit of God’s heart, of His pleasure, is the pursuit of His will.

But this discovery has not made our pursuit any easier. We are still left with the question how we can know His will – the things that speak to His heart.

Which brings us to what I have come to think of as the Secret Sacred Scroll of God’s Will for My Life. This is the list of all the decisions that we are supposed to “get right.” If we can get them right, then we will be in the center of God’s will and all will be well. The problem is, we don’t even know which decisions are on the list, much less, what the right answers are. We’re pretty sure that the big decisions, like who we are supposed to marry, what job we are supposed to take, and what house we should buy are on the list, but after that, it starts to get a little fuzzy. I mean, it wasn’t until our third child was on the way that it occurred to me that the decision to have a baby – to produce a soul that would spend eternity somewhere – might be something I should consult with God about. What other decisions should be on the list? And if I don’t even get to see the list, how in the world can I begin to hope to get the answers right? Read more

The Practical Pursuit of God’s Pleasure – God’s Will vs. God’s Heart

So, if we are going to do the things which speak to God’s heart, that means that we need to know what those things are, right? But how do we do that? Where do we even begin? I mean, we’re not even sure what God’s will is most of the time, much less the things that speak to His heart.

I think that there are a couple of problems here.

The more obvious one is what I have come to think of as the Secret Sacred Scroll of God’s Will for My Life – that list that I have to get right, without ever having much clarity about what the right answers are.

But there is a more subtle problem that we need to look at first. It is our frequent failure recognize the connection between “God’s will” and “doing those things that speak to His heart.” “His will” seems like the list of things that have to get done. “The things that speak to His heart” seem more like luxuries – the things that are nice when we can get to them.

Israel made this mistake. A lot. Consider God’s message to the people of Jerusalem and Judah, whom He calls “rulers of Sodom” and “people of Gomorrah” in Isaiah 1:10-15. Read more

The Practical Pursuit of God’s Pleasure – Heart vs. Duty

Ok, so we have begun to think of the marks of a disciple as commitments, and key to our transformation as disciples. And we have an idea of how these might look in our daily lives.

So we begin to think, “This commitment is a good thing. And if a little is good, more is better.” In the process we turn into the spiritual equivalent of Navy Seal wannabes.

This longer, faster, higher, harder approach can show up in a number of the commitments.

• Regularity in His Word? We will go well beyond “regular”. Our quiet times become extended, we read more chapters, journal more pages, memorize more verses, read more spiritual books on deeper topics.
• Self-denial becomes stoicism. No R-rated movies, TV, secular music, cards, or recreation on Sunday.
• Taking up our cross turns into a martyr complex and we begin to make comments that we know will provoke opposition, just so we can suffer for Jesus.
• Following Jesus morphs into an overt spiritual emphasis that permeates our life. We turn every conversation spiritual. Get involved in multiple Bible studies. Try every new spiritual discipline, always looking for a way to be “closer with Jesus.”
• Open-Handed Stewardship is measured in how much we give. The more we give, the more spiritual we are

Now, let me pause here to say that many of these can be legitimate expressions of our commitment to Christ. Most of these activities are not intrinsically bad. The problem lies in the motivation behind them. When the point shifts to “my commitment,” we become like the Pharisees and miss Christ’s heart (Matthew 9:13; 12:7).

So, what is the root of the problem. Well, you will notice that the list above focuses on commitments 2-6. In my experience, we tend to gravitate to these areas. Why? Because they are things we “do”.  And we know how to “do.”

But this “loving Jesus,” that’s a little more obscure. We’re not sure quite how to do that. Do we profess our our love to Him more intensely? Sing praise songs more earnestly? Pray with greater fervency?

Read more