9. This is the Will of God
We as Christians have a distinct advantage over unbelievers when it comes to facing decisions. We not only know that our sovereign God has already planned the way that is best for us, but we have infallible information about his priorities that will help us follow his plan. We have the inspired Word of God. And God specifically mentions at least six things in his Word that are part of his will for our lives. He actually says, for all practical purposes, “This is my will for you.” These six things have direct bearing on many of life’s decisions. Let’s look at them.
First Things First
God’s first priority is to glorify himself through man’s deliverance from the condemnation of sin. He wants everybody to be saved, and he says so several times. He says, for example, that he “will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.”174 He says also that he is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”175 And he says that he “sent his Son into the world to seek and to save the lost.”176
The first point in God’s plan for your life, therefore, is that you be saved. You must start here if you ever hope to know the rest of God’s will. Admit your sin. Agree that there is nothing you have ever done or can do that will commend you to an infinitely righteous God. Believe that Jesus Christ died in your place and for your sins. Then put your trust in him as your personal sin bearer and Savior. God will forgive your sins, assure you that heaven is your destiny, and set you on an exciting new road of peace and purpose here and now.
If God wants everybody to be saved, however, your own salvation is only the beginning. Now he wants to use you to bring others to a knowledge of the truth. “As the Father hath sent me, even so send I you,” said the Lord Jesus.177 Our purpose in the world as Christians is identical to Christ’s—to be God’s instruments to bring salvation to the lost. Every Christian is divinely commissioned to share the good news of salvation through Christ. And if that is first on God’s priority list, it ought to be first on ours. Every decision we face should be evaluated in the light of how it affects our ability to share Christ with a lost world.
This priority of witnessing may affect your decision to marry. Do you see yourself as being a more effective witness for Jesus Christ married than single? If not, maybe God wants you to remain single. The priority of witnessing will also certainly affect your choice of a life vocation. In what line of work can you most capably be used to present Christ to the lost?
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