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God's Will


           Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2)

          One of the questions that Christians often ask is “What is God’s will for me?” As we consider the goals we will set for 2019, that’s a good question. We have our list of what we will, but what does God will for us? 
          Most of us are sort of like a friend of mind. She’s told me she wishes God would lower a note down to her on a fishing line. I know other folks who seem to think God’s job is to do their wills. Today’s passage gives us several clues. What is God’s will?
          Our offering ourselves as living sacrifices, meaning that we do His will, we follow His rules.
         Our holiness, our separation from all that is vile, evil, filthy, or wrong.
          Our pleasing God.
          Our true and proper worship.
          Our not conforming ourselves to the pattern of the world.
          Our being transformed by the renewing of our minds.
          None of us are good at these things. It’s in our nature to do almost anything but these things. But as I go into this next year, I keep coming back to the same old story… God's will means, quite often, not ours.
          Not my will but Thine be done, O Lord. I bow the knee. I bow the knee. You have promised You would not let me miss my “exits.” I follow even though I don’t know where I’m going.

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