God's will for our lives

We were reading 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 in the car last Sunday, and both were struck by verse 3:

"For this is the will of God, your holiness"

Anything about the will of God in Scripture always catches our attention. I think this is because at our age and stage in life we're very concerned with what God's will is for us. However, while we tend to think of God's will in terms of future location, occupation, and ministry, Paul steers us toward understanding God's will as primarily concerning the heart and what flow from it. This is something we know but always forget. We are amazingly forgetful when it comes to biblical truth!

1 Thessalonians has more to say about God's will for our lives - 5:16-18 says

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you"

Again, God's will for us has to do primarily with what flows from the heart. So every morning when I pray and ask God, "What is your will for me today, and for the future?" I think that God's answer is: "Obey my Word, and with a joyful heart". This truth is liberating for a Christian, because it takes all of the guessing out of the equation. God's Word is rather plain regarding how we are to live day to day. And the truth of the gospel - Christ's death on our behalf (not our works) makes us righteous before God - is the power behind the freedom.

One more note, isn't it incredible that God's design and will for our lives is that we rejoice?!
(Here's a great article about this.)