Whose will will be done?

14 Apr Whose will will be done?

14 April 2026

I was thinking this week about CS Lewis’ words of wisdom: “There are two kinds of people in the world; those who say to God, ‘Thy will be done,’ and those to whom God says, ‘Ok…have it your way.’”

It really is that straightforward. Stop for a minute & read Romans 1, particularly from verse 18. Here’s a snippet: “For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth & sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power & divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark & confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people & birds and animals & reptiles. So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired.”

Human sin is, at its heart, that we reject what God reveals of his power to provide all that is for our good in relationship with him & believe, foolishly, that we can do better on our own. So three times in Romans 1 we read that God “abandons us” (some translators say “hands us over”) to our foolish desires & we reap exactly what we sow…pain, suffering, & eventually, death. Sin is progressive…pervasive…deadly. To a human race bent on going its own way, God says “Ok…have it your way.”

The very same story is told in 1 Samuel 8. God’s people are not yet a unified nation, but are a loosely connected tribal confederacy, each of the 12 tribes maintaining some autonomy among the others. But they want a king like all the nations surrounding them. Every God-appointed leader in their history has warned them about the dangers of a king, but in 1 Samuel 8:19 we read: “But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. ‘Even so,’ they said, ‘we still want a king…and the Lord replied, ‘do as they say & give them a king.’” Again, God says “Ok…have it your way.”

This coming Sunday we’ll hear something completely different…and wonderful: But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) – Ephesians 2:4 Faith responds to that grace by saying to God, “Thy will be done.” To trust that in Jesus God has done everything necessary to make us children of the heavenly Father…is to have your life completely transformed by the power of God in you through Christ’s resurrection. The contrast is clear…We persist to our own destruction, but God restores according to his own desire.

God desires that our life together reflect his grace in all we do…

• Sunday 19^th April – Knowing the Why… our worship & teaching series continues through the book of Ephesians, Knowing Where You Live – have a look at Ephesians 2 to get you prepared!
• Sunday 19^th April –  is also a Morning Tea Sunday! We know what to do with that!
• Sunday 26^th April – Compassion International special guest! Our GBO this month supported our sponsored child in Mexico, Mesac. This week Di Male brings the stories of success & deep need so we get a clearer picture of what your gifts allow in the lives of those we support.
• We’ve been asked to provide a meal for the Campus Christian Fellowship again on Tuesday May 26^th. We’ll have more details as we get closer to the date & a sign-up sheet to help organize our efforts. Thank you in advance!

I’ll see you Sunday!

John