Pastor Bell's Words To Live By

The ability to submit to another’s will is the ultimate as an expression of humility. This is what is required of those whose intention it is to follow Jesus whole-heartedly. So what does it mean to submit to the will of God. Firstly, we must know and understand what the will of God is corporately and individually. So let us see what scripture says about the will of God.  Jesus told his hearers that, his sole intention in life was to do the father’s will (John 4:34). Now the will of an individual is defined as “the intent or intention of that individual”. The will of God then is His intention or desire for humanity. After the fall and the downward spiral of humanity towards hell and the total separation from his creator, Yahweh devised a plan that required obedience and sacrifice. The intention of God has never changed. He desires relationship and intimacy with us his creation, but our desire must be the same also. When Jesus was here physically, he taught his followers to pray thus: Father let your kingdom come and let your will be done on earth as it is done in heaven, (Luke 11:1-4). Jesus ushered in the kingdom of God, that is, God’s way of doing things. However, for his intentions to be carried out we must submit to his way of doing things. That is, we must allow his will to be done here among us. In a nutshell then, how do we do that?

The apostle Paul reminds us that God’s initial will for all of humanity is that ‘we all should be filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:17). It is this process that allows the individual to submit to God. By doing this, our behaviour, attitude and relationships with our fellow men drastically changes. We are then no longer driven by how we feel or by the desires of our hearts, but by what God say through Jesus Christ his son, the logos. Henceforth we do not operate in a legalistic manner like the ancient Israelites did, but have a tangible living relationship with risen lord Jesus Christ who brings transformation to us on a daily basis.