Mixed Thoughts
Well, I thought I might throw this one out for you all to gnaw on. A friend of mine once said this to me, though I don't know if she "got" it from someone else. I have mixed thoughts about it.
Here it be:
The will of God is not as much about what you are doing as it is about who you are becoming.
Wondering what you think.
Here it be:
The will of God is not as much about what you are doing as it is about who you are becoming.
Wondering what you think.
posted by 
at 5:06 PM
12 Comments:
Hmmm. That is one to really reflect on. I think I agree - because through every trial, through every situation, through ever joy we find, I believe that God is teaching. And we can be changed - by our reactions and attitudes toward the situations...
I've heard this one before, as well. I think I would tend to agree with it in this regard: I think it is the doing that leads to the becoming. Does that make sense? We can't just sit at home for the rest of our lives and become who he created us to be. It is being in his will, doing according to his will, that transforms us.
Yeah, what Addie said. I think that's what James meant when he said, "But be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was." James 1:22-24
I'm struck by the thought that "the will of God" isnt about me at all; it's about Him, and if I choose to be in it, rather than busy with my own agenda, then I stand a better chance of being in the process of "becoming".
I was about to type exactly what I ended up seeing that Addie wrote. What you are doing makes you become who you are. But I suppose we should and could all have a goal in mind as to who we wish to become...
Hm. I think we are supposed to "do" the will of God in that we are to obey his written Word (the Bible). But I don't think His will is some elusive "plan" that we are supposed to discover, and if we don't marry a certain person or take a certain job that we are outside of His will. Rather, if we follow the commandments of Scripture, we are in His will, and those instructions will guide our decisions about the big choices we make in life. In other words, it's not about where we live or what job we take, but about how we live in that place. Which I think is kind of the point of that saying, but it's pretty vague. So I guess I agree, lol.
I think the key words here are "as much". Meaning both 'doing' and 'becoming' are both part of God's will. Whether one is more important than the other I'm not so sure. I believe you have to be doing in order to become. They go hand-in-hand. Am I making any sense? Probably not. :)
This thought may be convoluted. Sorry. I hope you can follow it…
If you are striving to seek the will of God daily are you not doing his will as well as becoming it? Is it not both?
I think it would be more helpful what the “will of God” is.
It reminds me of Joshua 9 when the Gibeonite’s deceive Israel. Verse nine reads: “The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord.”
It makes me think that if I am daily living God’s will as the Israelites were at that time. They were obeying and clearing the land. They were trying to be faithful to God. BUT they forgot that to inquire of the Lord. That perhaps in order to be in God’s will I must not be complacent to think, I’m living the dream he gave me, I’m doing the commands of his Word, and I’m growing into the person he wants me to be. Rather, I should ask God every morning, what is your will for me today, Lord?
When I read that, I thought "It's an action." Not that we are doing any of the work, but that God is doing it in us. Doing the will of God requires obedience, and obedience to Him calls for some sort of action on our part, even when he calls us to "be still". You cannot earn any of His grace, but in receiving that grace, you should not be able to help but "do" what He calls you to do.
Savvy?
What we are becoming (both the unconscious and conscious parts of our being) is much bigger than what we are doing (the well, largely, conscious part of our being), so I do think that God would be more concerned with what we are becoming. Our actions and thoughts represent a small part of ourselves. That being said, for those who follow Christ there should be increasing agreement between who we are becoming, what we are doing, and the will of God.
Okay, let's try this: What we are doing, rightly interpreted, gives clues to who we are becoming. So if Jeff gives a coin in the offering because he believes that it belongs to God in the first place and that God can bring about more good with it than Jeff could ever do at a trip to Target, that is good. If Mike gives becauses he wants to look good in front of others, well, these two are doing the same thing, but if we rightly interpret the same action in the two people we will come to a different conclusion as to what they are becoming.
Try this as well, if someone becomes so distraught with the state of life on earth that he turns to drugs to allieviate his pain, he might be better off than someone who is never bothered by the pain and suffering he sees.
Am I swirling off topic here? I don't know between you and Boomama today. . . AHHHHHH! I need a drink! (Just kidding) But I am going to go take the kids for a walk.
I can't be bothered to read all these replies but I will say this -- In my own quest for personal improvement the doing is just as important as the becoming. How I present and share myself with others matters in learning how to open myself to them -- and in inviting them to open to me.
I don't know what you see as God's will. From my non-believer's perch it seems to me like a fancy way of saying you want to be a good person who builds strong bonds and takes responsibility for making life better.
Well, in that case, the doing is part of the becoming. I don't know how you separate the two.
I'll just say Amen to what Addie, Bev and Brenda said.
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