How much power do we have?
Discussion question for April 1, 2011.
God chooses to constraint His power according to our free will, so what is He waiting for you to do? What happens if we never get around to doing His will? Does God ever do things for our best interest, even when we are not on board with it? What do you think God might be waiting for us to do?
Here’s my summary of our discussion.
The end times and last days are prophetically described but not predictively defined. They are promised based on conditions, of which we only understand a few. God is patient so His mercy can be extended to many, and He desires us to be patient and merciful with Him. God is pouring out the Holy Spirit (as promised) while at the same time He is holding evil in check.
God’s sovereignty is true but true love-based relationships occur without coercion or manipulative control from one party over the other. It’s all about relationship, and God wants us to participate in His will.
Our identity is strongly influenced by our will, or purpose. God’s identity is similarly influenced by His will or purpose. When our purpose aligns with His our identity forms in His likeness. This is our “identity in Christ” and the process is called sanctification.
Is the phrase “Thy will be done” in the Lord’s Prayer a request, a confession, or a command to obey? If it is a request, then we should align our will to His and participate in making it come to pass. If it is a confession, then we should be accepting on faith that it has already come to pass in the spiritual realm and we must look for evidence of it in the physical realm. If it is a command to obey, then we must humble ourselves so we stop getting in the way of God accomplishing it.
No matter what we choose, God is still sovereign. His purposes will be accomplished whether we choose to be in agreement with Him or not. Esther stepped up to the challenge to save the Israelites when the opportunity was thrust upon her, though she could have backed down. King Saul, on the other hand, stepped away from the opportunity to save the Israelites and ended up being replaced by King David. If we don’t do His will, someone else will.
Bottom line: God operates with unconditional love. You can’t stop that kind of love, but you can choose to accept it.