CYPRESSWOOD CHURCH OF CHRIST
May 11, 2008
25424 Aldine-Westfield, Spring, TX. 7737
www.geocities.com/adon77373/cypresswoodbulletin.htm
www.cypresswoodchurchofchrist.com
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
PRAYERS AND PETITIONS:
Our congregation Various friends, relatives and co-workers
Our nation, military and leaders The spread of the good news
YOUR WILL BE DONE
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-10).
The phrase, “your will be done” is an interesting statement. Many people use it with the desire to know and do God’s will. Many follow the example of Jesus in the Garden when He was pleading and praying to remove the situation of the cross He was facing but concluding, “may your will be done” (Matthew 26:39, 42). What exactly is God’s will? Many seek God’s will for their lives such as changing jobs, moving, what congregation to attend, and any number of other ideas. Since God doesn’t send prophets or telegrams, discerning the will of God has become difficult. Maybe if we understand what Jesus taught, we can base the idea of God’s will in our lives in light of that teaching.
Let’s start with love. It is God’s will that we love Him with all of our being; heart, mind, soul, and strength; and secondly, that we love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:29-31). The challenge for us is when we look at the practice of this. Jesus, the same night that He prayed in the Garden, earlier stated that He was giving a new commandment to His followers, that they love one another, and that those who watch us ought to see that love (John 13:34-35). It is not merely words said, there is action involved. Love is seeking the best of another even if it means dying for them. How have we loved one another? By name calling? By labeling? By misrepresenting people? By trying to control others? By the lack of challenging Bible study?
Consider these words by a preacher in churches of Christ at the beginning of the 20th Century.
“There is a great need to stress the importance of maintaining freedom of speech in the
kingdom of God. Intolerance is dangerous to the future growth of the church…All
progress of truth -- scientific truth, political truth, or religious truth -- all truth has always
depended on free speech and progressive teachers who were not afraid to teach their
honest convictions” (1).
Many young people, and others, have seen how elders, preachers and others treat their brothers and sisters, have called it hypocrisy, and have left, either to private worship or other churches that are more willing to study. Traditions must be defended as doctrine because many cannot distinguish between them. Then they justify their bad behavior as “defending the faith.” They say they love but their actions and speech betray them.
More radical than that, we are to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44-45). This means we seek what is best for those who seek to kill us, or who mark us as some extremist. We are to pray for our enemies like Islamic terrorists. We pray for our troops, and rightly so, and for peace, and for our leaders, but when was the last time we prayed for terrorists, in particular to come to faith in Christ? With an upcoming election, someone will become President and it is possible that we will not agree with that person. How will we respond to this? How can we show God’s will by showing our love?
Jesus challenges us to take up our cross daily (Luke 9:23). Paul expands on this by telling us that we are living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2) and that we want to sharing in Jesus’ sufferings (Philippians 3:10-11). To take up a cross means facing death, for however one looks at a cross, it is a means of death. To carry a cross means we recognize that we are living sacrifices, offered to God. How would we fulfill God’s will by living a sacrificial or surrendered life?
We serve rather than rule. Power is, well powerful. It is tempting to think that we are, in the words of that great American philosopher, Clint Eastwood, “legends in our own minds.” People with power often think that they know more, have more experience, and have been selected to make all decisions. Some would call this micro-management. A serving life is one not of getting my way but of looking at how I can serve someone else. It might be as simple as changing a dirty diaper or picking someone up walking along the road. It might mean visiting someone who is struggling. This is God’s will.
Another way we can come to terms with God’s will is to come to terms with our thinking.
“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable -- if anything is excellent
or praiseworthy -- think about such things” (Philippians 4:8).
Bringing our minds under the will of God is thinking in the right way. How many times do we think in terms of anger, revenge, hatred, getting even, lust, and evil? We are not to look at people the way the world does but through the eyes of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:16-18). Sadly, we have had difficulty learning this lesson. We often think the worse of those we disagree with and the best of those who support us. We can see this in the African tribal warfare in Rwanda when one tribe who had been taught Christianity attacked another tribe who had been taught Christianity and slaughtered thousands. What exactly were they taught if tribal hatreds remained? But we do not have to go that far. Racism remains a problem in this country. We make claims that God is no respecter of persons yet we disobey the will of God by being such. We find ourselves frustrated by government inaction and stupidity, and that leads us to words, thoughts and actions that are against the will of God.
We are to be the salt of the earth and the light to the world. What do our lights look like? To know the will of God is to practice the teaching of Jesus. It could be in counseling a young girl about both the importance of life and the dangers of abortion, encouraging her to consider adoption. It might be helping the poor through various private organizations or contributions, or spending time on trips to build churches and schools in poverty stricken areas. It might be spending time overseas in the medical field helping the sick and dying. To know God’s will is to study His word, for He clearly teaches us how He wants us to live, to speak, and to worship.
Next time you want to seek God’s will, consider looking at Jesus and what He wants us to do and be. We might be surprised where this will lead us.
George B. Mearns
(1) by J.N. Armstrong, from Bobby Valentine, Unity, Freedom of Inquiry, and Humility, http://stoned-campbelldisciple.blogspot.com