Your Kingdom Come

Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,

What is God's will for your life? What do you want for your life? What is in the will of God for you on a daily basis? Below are some examples from scripture. But the real question is what is God's will for you today? Ray Stedman tells¹ of a man who concerned about his career. The man took a blank piece of paper and wrote a list of all the benefits of his job: the the salary, the benefits, the prestige, doing work he loved, etc. He realized this was a list anyone could write. He took another piece of paper and wrote all the reasons God had him in his current position: people he had helped with Christian insights into their personal problems, the man going through a difficult time and needed help, opportunities to witness to his whole company. When he was done he compared the lists and realized that the first list was "quite trivial; the enduring thing, the thing that would last forever, was not what he got out of to, but what God got out of it." What is God's will for your life in all areas of your life? A similar list can be drawn up for family members, loved ones, your church, our nation and the world.

Here are some examples of God's will for all believers from Scripture²:

The blessing of God. Numbers 6:24-26 There we are directed to expect the blessing from the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of the Father, and the communion of the Holy Ghost.³ God blessing our lives with peace and safety. 

Intimacy with God Exodus 3:6 For the first time God reveals Himself as Jehovah, I AM THAT I AM. We can approach a Holy God and sit in His presence. We can cry out Abba Father which is a personal cry of a child to their Father, Daddy.

To be pleasing to God Psalms 19:14 To have the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing to God. 

Character - prosper and empower. Romans 8:29 conformed into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. 

Fruitfulness - abide and dependance on You. John 15:1-5 He is the vine, we are the branches, apart from Him we can do nothing. In Him we can produce much fruit in our lives. 

Spiritual maturity. Ephesians 4:13 …become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. 

Love. Galatians 5:22 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control

Availability. Isaiah 6:8 Whom shall He send? And who will go for Him? Make yourself available to be sent by God. Make yourself available to be used by God on a day to day basis. At work, in your neighborhood, at the gas pump, in the grocery store, and everywhere you are at be ready "in season and out of season."

Follow God's Plan.

 Acknowledge our powerlessness. John 15:5 Apart from God we are powerless to change our lives or this world. 

Affirm God's power. Philippians 4:13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. What are you doing to help? Let us pray for patient submission and hope when we are abased; for humility and a heavenly mind when exalted⁴.

Tap into the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 Live as children of Light

Maintain Christ's Lordship. 1 Peter 3:15 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. John 14:20 NIV84 Jesus said "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you."

Take moral inventory. 1 John 1:9 Confess your sins and ask forgiveness. Sin is what separates us from God. Ask God to search your heart and reveal sin in your life, confess that sin, and ask for forgiveness in Jesus name. 

Strive for growth. 1 Peter 2:2 "that you may grow up in your salvation,"

Be called to action. Acts 1:8 NIV84 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Acknowledge our powerlessness. John 15:5 Apart from God we are powerless to change our lives or this world. 

Affirm God's power. Philippians 4:13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength. What are you doing to help? Let us pray for patient submission and hope when we are abased; for humility and a heavenly mind when exalted⁴.

Tap into the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 Live as children of Light

Maintain Christ's Lordship. 1 Peter 3:15 Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. John 14:20 NIV84 Jesus said "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you."

Take moral inventory. 1 John 1:9 Confess your sins and ask forgiveness. Sin is what separates us from God. Ask God to search your heart and reveal sin in your life, confess that sin, and ask for forgiveness in Jesus name. 

Strive for growth. 1 Peter 2:2 "that you may grow up in your salvation,"

Be called to action. Acts 1:8 NIV84 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

Righteousness, peace, and joy. Romans 14:17 NIV84 "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,"

Fullness of the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 NIV84 "Instead, be filled with the Spirit"

Health and prosperity. 3 John 2 NIV84 "Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well."

Kingdom identity. Ephesians 2:6 NIV84 "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,"

End Notes:

¹ Stedman vol 2 p. 99
² Beltz p. 132
³ Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary comments on Numbers 6:24-26
⁴ Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary comments on Philippians 4:13