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Pastor's Blog October 28, 2021
"View of God in Romans XXXIV"
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How do you know what God wants you to do in your life? I'm often asked by church members, "How can I know God's will in my life? What is it God wants me to do? If only I could understand his will so that I can do what makes him happy." That's a wonderful sentiment, and I agree that it can sometimes (okay, a lot of the time) be difficult to discern God's will in a certain situation. But God actually shows us what kind of life is acceptable to him, and the kind of life that receives the approval of other people - and that life has to do with Jesus and the Holy Spirit!
Romans 14:18 states, "For he who in this way serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men" (NASB). This is a fairly straightforward passage; the only unclear piece is the phrase "in this way." What is Paul referring to by serving Christ "in this way?" The apostle is referring to Romans 14:17, which we looked at last week: "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (NASB). According to Romans 14:17, the kind of life God is looking for is one that focuses on the priorities of his kingdom: righteousness, peace, and joy. Similarly, the only way those kingdom priorities can be pursued is "in the Holy Spirit."
And according to Romans 14:18, such a life that is lived in the Holy Spirit, focusing on righteousness, peace, and joy, is the kind of life that ends up serving Jesus. Romans 14:17-18 is one of the clearest places in the Bible that demonstrates how intimately Jesus and the Holy Spirit work together, and how much service to one can only be done by rendering service to the other. It is this kind of life - a life of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit which serves Christ - that God finds acceptable.
If you are living this kind of life, you can know that you are doing what God wants you to do. If you are living your life according to God's kingdom, in the Spirit's power, focused on Jesus, you can know that you are acceptable to God and that you are in the center of God's will for you. This life will also receive the approval of others who are watching your conduct!
Friends, I encourage you to continue serving Christ in the Holy Spirit for God's kingdom.
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God bless,
Pastor Nathaniel Gamble
