Disobeying God's Will (James 4:17)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10-27-03

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Disobeying God’s Will

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  James 4:17

 

            Message of the verse:  “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin.”  (NASB)  “Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.”  (NLT)

            This section is talking about the will of God, and as the verse uses words like “the right thing” or “good” then it must be said that the will of God is good.  I think of the apostle Paul when he was about to go up to Jerusalem and all of the advice that he got to tell him that trouble was ahead of him, yet he knew in his heart that it was the will of God for him to go.  The question to ask as we have the privilege to look back on this is “was it good for him to go?”  It seems to me that we may be missing part of our Bible if he would not have obeyed God, and Paul would have missed out on a free trip to Rome if he had not obeyed God.

            Dr. Wiersbe gives two reasons why we do not obey the will of God.  The first reason is pride, pride that we don’t need any help from anyone.  When I think of pride I think of it as the first sin that entered the universe, for it was the sin of Lucifer.  It is also one of the seven deadly sins that we learned about earlier this year from our brother Chittock.  The second reason for not obeying the will of God is fear or lack of faith, or as Dr. Wiersbe states it “an ignorance of the nature of the will of God.”  The will of God is not an option for believers as the verse states, for if we know His will and do not do it then it is sin. 

            Many people believe that the will of God for our lives is something to avoid because it will make us miserable, when the opposite is true.  God is our creator, and thus He knows infinitely more that we do so this is where faith and trust come into the picture. 

            What happens if we don’t obey the will of God in our lives?  Read Hebrews 12:5-11 for the fist part of this answer and for the next part of the answer read 1Corthians 9:27.  The first answer is discipline, and the second answer is we will loose rewards.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think of the song that Frank Sinatra sang “I did it my way,” and know that there are far too many times in my life that I do it my way and not God’s way.  This is prideful on my part, and God is not pleased when I am prideful. 

 

The Word of God was challenging to my heart as I read it this morning, and it also convicted me.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  As I prepare my Bible Study lesson for Tuesday I trust that the Lord will give me the wisdom to say what He would wants me to say to those who are here, and that He will bring those here whom He wants to be here.