I was reading this passage the other day, and as that happens with many who read the Bible, this was not the first time I have this scripture but this time I learnt something new from it.
"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'"
I thought to myself I try to do things in Jesus name, just as that verse describes, and I worried that one day Jesus would say to me 'I never knew you'. I think what this passage means is that if you do things (in the name of Jesus) but you are not really doing them for His will and glory, then you must be doing them for yourself and you will never get to truly know Jesus
I tried to apply to this to where I am at in my own life at the moment. I am trying to make big decisions now that I have finished Queen's in what to do next, and my big fear is that I will make a decision based on what I would like to do and not God's will for my life. For example I have had some ideas of things I would like to do in the future, and then I have prayed about them. I wish I had of prayed first, and then came up with those ideas, so that I could know they were from God! I don't want to pray about something because it is what I want. I would hate to wake up some morning and realise I've really been doing things for my enjoyment and not for God's pleasure and have Jesus say to me 'I don't know you'.
So please pray for me so that I can make decisions without being blinded by my own human ambition and that God would reveal His will to me and also that I would know Jesus more everyday.
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3 comments:
i like what you say.
i will pray for you.
from what you say the challenge is to know God first (love Him, seek Him, follow Him) and then all your decisions will naturally be His ones.
First Chris - I am praying for you!
Amen to David's comment - when you are seeking God's will then the thing that gives you most pleasure coincides with God's will!
Continue to listen out for God's direction in your Bible reading but watch out for the enemy also who is trying to bring confusion.
The many who proclaimed 'Lord Lord ...' and yet were turned away were not people who tried in any way to discern God's will - they were people who pretended to be in a relationship with Him and quite clearly were not.
Can I tell you part of my story in coming to be called to be in the Church Army:
A few days before the selection I was adamant that I wasn't going to go and I was complaining in my prayers to God three things:
First that I had been to selection (both with the Church Army and for ordination) before and I hadn't been selected.
Secondly that I couldn't 'do the work of an evangelist'
Thirdly that I was afraid (amongst other things of further rejection, not to mention having to take my family away to Sheffield).
I then turned to my given reading for the day (given because I used the Common Lectionary readings)
THe reading was Luke 5 1-11 - about the miracle catch of fish:
Through this Jesus was saying:
'Neil, you say that you have been in those waters before: so had the fishermen - they had been fishing all night and caught nothing':
'I'm asking you to cast into the deep once more'
'When they caught the fish Peter - like you saw his unworthiness to be in my presence and to do the things that I asked of him'
'You say your afraid - like Peter _ say to you "Do not be afraid ..." "from now on I will make you fishers of men.'
'Neil come and follow me' and as I heard God say that I recognised that Peter and co 'left everything and followed him.'
The incredible thing is that the closing worship for the selection conference had a familiar reading : Luke 5:1-11!
Chris I tell you this because (as you know even though we haven't met you have been on my heart for some time)and I think God is calling you to something that at first sight might may you feel oh so uncomfortable but it is something that will bring you the greatest of joy!
God bless you and yours in your discernment.
Neil
Hello Chris! It´s amazing to read your blog, I found it by accident, just scrolling through random blogs to find a post I once read, but ended up here! I think I met you briefly at sitc like 3-4 yrs ago..
I´m so happy everything is well with you, and to read your blog, and see that you truly live for Christ is amazing, and it warms my heart!
lots of blessings from Norway!
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