Speaker: Ben Sigman

Theme: Knowing God's Will

Read:   I Thessalonians 5:11-18

Think:  During my school years, I played in a number of concert bands.  So, ‘band practice’ was part of my regular routine.  I never thought much about the phrase until one band group formed a softball team and the coach scheduled ‘softball rehearsal’.  The weak joke had an interesting point behind it.  In the performing arts, the goal is to present each selection in one exactly perfect way, and rehearsals support this goal.  In sports, however, games play out in completely unexpected ways.  So, athletes practice skills in order to be able to respond to any situation that arises in a game.  Artists build performances, athletes build players.

Some people think that God’s will is something like a script for a play or the score for a piece of music.  God has everything planned out, and our role is to learn our part and perform it.  The real challenge is to find out just what God wants us to do.  But once we figure out the details – where to go to college, whom to marry, etc. – it will be a simple matter to act out our parts.  While it is certainly true that God cares about the details of our lives, there is more than this to God’s will.

As Pastor Ben summed up on Sunday, ‘most of the time, God’s will is not about what you do, it’s about who you are becoming’.  God is more interested in individuals than in what they do.  In a sense, the Christian life is more like sports than the performing arts.  We become better Christians, more like Jesus, through good practice.

The scripture reading for today provides a great list of items for us to practice in order to live out God’s will in our lives.  “¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Do:  Do something sporty today – toss a ball or a frisbee, swing a golf club, or go for a walk.  As you enjoy the great weather and feel your muscles working, let it remind you of the importance of spiritual exercises, too.

Pray:  Heavenly Father, I do want to act out my part in life according to your perfect plan.  But I see that it starts with becoming who you want me to be.  Change my heart, change my life, and make me into the person you want me to be.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

The eDevotional is written each week by a team of volunteers from Timberlake Church.