Have you ever wondered what God's will is for your life? I think that many of us struggle with this -- if we take God seriously. Usually when we ask God about His will for our life, we are talking about things like, "What career should I enter?"; "Who should I marry?"; "Should I enter military service?"; or a multitude of other practical life issues. But what about God's overall plan for all of us? What does he want for us? The Apostle Paul's letter to the Ephesians provides a real, practical answer in chapter 5, verses 15-21:
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
I think that most of us really want to be wise and not foolish, so we need to know God's will. Paul starts his explanation about God's will by telling the readers not to get drunk on wine. He really isn't just being a good Baptist here; he is making a point. In the world of Paul, many of those who worshiped idols thought that drunkenness could make there minds more responsive to their "God." Certainly these people as well as the modern reader realizes that, when we are drunk, we are not in full control of our faculties; the "spirits" (alcohol) are in control. Paul then uses this analogy to say that we need to be "filled with the Spirit." Essentially, being filled with the Spirit means that we have surrendered control of our will to that of the Holy Spirit. When we surrender, we are transformed. This is God's will for us. He wants all men and women to be saved, but that is not the end, that is the beginning. We are save by grace just as we are; we don't need to change anything. But we are save for a purpose. That purpose is to bear much fruit; allowing ourselves to be transformed into one having a Christlike character. This is the "Fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22).
Of course God is interested in those questions of life discussed in the first paragraph, but even the answers to these questions become more apparent once we have been transformed. What does this transformation look like? Part of the answer is given in the rest of this passage. The way we relate to one another is changed. Paul uses several participles to express this change; "Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another. . .singing and making music. . .always giving thanks. . .submitting to one another. . ." This kind of relating to others, doesn't come normally to me. It only happens when I am surrendered to God's will.
Do you want to know what the will of God is for your life? Then Be Filled with the Spirit.
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