1 John 4:7-11 – “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. 8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”  NASU

Last time we talked about the Will of God and the fact that God is Love, as well as Love, being the prime identifier of a Christian.  Now, it is my desire that we press into this a bit further and consider some additional realities concerning the Will of God and the Believer.

I have often been amazed and at times amused at the thinking of some Christians regarding this matter.  Often, we spend so much time seeking the Will of God that we never get around to Doing His will.  One of the reasons is we make the Will of God so mysterious we overlook the obvious.  After all, God’s will could never be what we wanted to do could it?  I suggest that before God reveals His will to you, He ALWAYS prepares our hearts for that will.  He helps us to want to and then asks, “Would you like to?” or “Will you?”  That’s just how He operates and it is not something weird or mysterious.  It is usually what the heart has been crying out to do all along.  I have become convinced that I do not have to worry about finding the Will of God for He has been preparing my heart and leading me to it all along.  I do not diminish seeking Him but do encourage everyone to not stress out over it as though it were a deep hidden mystery virtually undiscoverable.  I take comfort in the reality that “IF” God walks me into it, then I do not have to be overly stressed about the minute details.  I can, through the Holy Spirit, look at the Big Picture.  That begs the question, “What is the Heart of God for my life and yours?”

That is a very important question.  When we see His Big Picture or a bigger picture than we have heretofore seen, the details of HOW will work out as we FOLLOW Him.  But, “What is the Big Picture?”  Is there a picture that is true for everyone?  I suggest the answer is a qualified yes.  The details may and will likely be different as to HOW it is worked and walked out in life but the Big Picture is consistent and the same.  I believe that the DESIRE of God for each of us springs forth out of Who He Is.  I hope you follow me in that.  Because God is the way He is, His desire for us is, “That We Become the Manifestation and Demonstration of Him in Life.”  Who is more perfect than God?  Since He is perfect, there could be no higher call than to “manifest” and “demonstrate” Him before the world.  That, in a nutshell, is the Big Picture of which I speak.  It is His Will and Design for every person living on this planet.  He wants us to MANIFEST Who He is and be the DEMONSTRATION of Him to the world.

GOD IS LOVE!  That is a cornerstone of our life.  Everything we know about God must be filtered through that prism.  We think about God being ALMIGHTY and He is.  He does not have power He is power.  He said, “Let there be light, and there was light.”  That is a dynamic demonstration of power.  But, imagine if you will, a God with that kind of power who is not LOVE.  That is terrifying!  He would be the ultimate monster of monsters.  LOVE controls everything else that we know about God.  He is OMNISCIENT and knows the past, present, and future.  But, imagine, a God that knows what we have done, are doing and will do but without LOVE.  Most of us are ashamed to tell even our closest friends some of our thoughts and this God KNOWS them, but without LOVE He would squash us like bugs.  He would be a monster of epic proportions. The Bible does not say, “God is Power,” but as we study the Bible we realize that is a factual reality. But, the Bible does say, “God is Love.” 

That presents a problem for mortal man which I hope to delve into in the next devotional, but for now, we will pause and hold those thoughts for the next discussion.  May the Lord bless you richly as you embark on today’s journey in Jesus!