great is the mystery

Well, firstly I wanted to say that the matter of God's will is actually disputed by many people. I think what one had said about being 'selfish' was actually right on the mark... I mean, not that we intend to be selfish, but we just are. Think about it. Whenever we inquire about God's will we are always asking 'what is God's will for my life?' When really we should be asking 'What is God's will?' and 'How can I join myself to His heart's desire on this earth?' I think this would make the Lord very happy to have some on this earth who would care for His interest over their own.

And I was also encouraged by the comment to seek out what the Bible has to say about God's Will. And in my study I have found that the Bible has a lot to say on God's Will. Infact it has a lot to do with two mysteries mentioned in the Bible. The first mystery being Christ, who is the mystery of God (Colossians 2:2). And the second mystery being the Church, which is His Body; being the mystery of Christ(Ephesians 3:4).

God's will began in eternity past with His good pleasure. . .There are a few verses that must be read when considering what is God's will. Those verses are Ephesians chapter 1, especially verses 5, 8-10, 22-23, and Eph. 3:9.

Let's read Ephesians 1:9-11 "making known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in the heavens and which are on the earth-in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will."

According to the Greek text, His good pleasure can also be referred to as His economy (oikonmia-"household administration, household law, household dispensation" which is to parcel out, to dispense). For this purpose to be 'purposed in Himself' means that it was purposed in eternity, because our God is an eternal God. So, we can see from these verses that our God has something that makes Him happy; and this is called His good pleasure. So with this good pleasure He set His will to plan everything according to the working out of His good pleasure. And this will of His motivates Him to purpose in His heart to accomplish His good pleasure. So what is it exactly that makes God happy, you might ask. It makes our Father happy to be expressed in His many Sons. How is this possible? God's Economy. And God's economy is simply this:

To dispense Himself in Christ into His chosen and redeemed people that He may have a house to express Himself, which house is the church, the Body of Christ.

We know from Gal. 1:15-16, ("But when it pleased God,... to reveal His Son in me,") that it pleases God to reveal His Son in us. So it is the Christ in you(Col. 1:27) that really makes Him happy.

If we read 1 Tim 3:15-16 we can see that the church is the house of the living God. The Greek word for house in this verses corresponds to the Greek word for household in earlier in this book and also for "economy" (see above). The church as the house of God is a corporate house in which are many members, many Sons of God.

And we know also in Colossians 1:19 that "it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell." And in Ephesians 1:22-23 Paul says, "And He subjected all things under His feet and gave Him to be Head over all things to the church, Which is His body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all. So Christ is the Head of the Body and the church is the Body of Christ. So from Galatians 1:15-16 and Colossians 1:19 we can see that two things really pleases God, makes Him happy; Christ and the church.

Hmmm... This is becoming a very long blog topic. . . Perhaps I will contunue on this line if anyone else is interested.