“What is the will of God for my life?” serves as one of the most oft asked questions by Christians. Unfortunately, far too many Christians complicate their search and fail in their desperate attempts to find God's will for their lives. They invest considerable time and energy looking for a field of service. All the while, they fail to notice the plain truth revealed in the scriptures concerning God's will. The truth is likely very simple. The Bible declares it good to give thanks unto the Lord and failure to do what is good is sin (James 4:17). It stands to reason, therefore, that giving God thanks serves as one of the most basic ways for man to obey the will of God. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Conclusion: Giving God thanks serves as the simplest way to fulfil God's will in a Christian's life.
Hear God's word, keep it, and it will “bring forth fruit with patience.” Today's passage comes from a series of verses (Luke 8:11-15) wherein the Lord explained the interpretation of a parable to His disciples. The Lord's interpretation incorporates another wonderful truth concerning patience. He likens patience to planting a seed and waiting for the fruit of that seed to develop and grow. Of course, the growth and maturation process takes time. A farmer going into the field every day to look for growth shows a lack of patience and wisdom. This truth equally applies to the Christian life; growing in the Lord takes time. Expecting maturity overnight is both unwise and unfruitful. A newly born-again Christian certainly cannot expect to bear the fruit of an established believer in a short period of time. In fact, the Lord promises that fruit will be brought forth only with patience. Consider the truth taught concerning the husbandman who “waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it” (James 5:7). We must all patiently wait for the seeds of life to develop into fruit in the Lord's time.
