What Submission Looks Like

I wanted to post today about the qualities of submission, what it looks like in every day living, and how we can be submissive to the will of God in our lives. But the problem is that if I write about all that, none of you need to come to church on Sunday. ;-) (Insert advertisement to make sure you attend church here.)

But what I do want to do today is help you to understand how you can know what it is that God wants you to do so that you can submit to that. The truth of the matter is that so many of us say we want to follow Jesus, but then we have no idea what it is that He wants us to do. "How can I truly know God's will for my life?" people always ask.

Well, today, you're in for a treat, because I'm going to give you a simple formula for knowing God's will for your life. It may seem oversimplified, but I think it gives us great insight into what God expects of those who follow after Him.

Romans 12:1-2


As you see from the text there are two things that we need to do to understand God's will. The first is to offer our bodies to God. That means that the physical body that we have been given by God is to be given to Him to be used for His will and His purposes. This, in and of itself, is another excellent definition of submission. The body is to be used to worship God, and it is to be acceptable to Him. This is the first step to knowing what God wants for you to do.

The second step is found in verse two, where Paul tells us to allow God to change the way we think. Did you know that there is nothing that you do in this life that doesn't first start with a thought? Aside from those things that are simply "built in" to our genetic code, like breathing or our heart beating, everything we do or say begins with a thought. This is why God so desperately wants us to change the way the we think. When this happens, God will transform us into a new person...a person who is able to do the things that He wants us to do. We do this by replacing the garbage of our minds that comes naturally to us with the truth of His Word.

And look at the end of that verse. When we do the things that God wants us to do, we will then know His will. So friends, there it is. A simple formula to knowing God's will for your life.

A) Submit your whole life to God, and
B) start thinking the way God does by reading His Word every day!

Comment below about a time you saw God's hand transform your life by helping you think differently about a certain situation. And we'll see you on Sunday!

Taming the Tongue

I want to begin this week with a short video. Just a word of caution, though. This video doesn't start running until about 25-30 seconds into it, so if you click it and nothing happens, just wait a minute or so, and then if nothing happens, try again.

So the tongue is the topic of our messages this week. We talked a bit about it a few weeks ago, but we're coming to it again because James seems to be telling us that if we want to influence a culture that hates Christ, then we will need to manage our words with care.

So how do we tame our tongue? We need to use the bit and bridle of the Word of God. There is an interesting passage of Scripture that we will cover in detail at a later date, but in it there is this phrase: "We take every thought captive to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Cor. 10:5-NIV) In James, there are three specific places where the tongue is mentioned. Here in chapter 3, in chapter 1, and again at the end of chapter 4. James wants us to be careful about what we say. So much so, that we are to be "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry" (1:19-emphasis mine).

What these verses mean for us, taken together, is that before we open our mouths, we must learn the art of bringing our words captive and make them obedient to the will of our Heavenly Father. Before the words come out, they need to be filtered through Jesus. Would Jesus say that? Would He say it that way? Would Jesus really get angry and raise His voice here? Answering these questions helps us to bring our thoughts and our words captive to Christ so that we might be obedient sons and daughters of the King!

Comment below about a time you spoke before thinking and how it got you into trouble...and we'll see you on Sunday!