What is God’s Will?

Why ask this question?

The question is a tough nut

So we seldom bother to ask this question.

But there are times in which we suddenly come up this question.

We know our way until we come to a junction and are uncertain of the next move.

Three different situations

1.      Clear situations: there are right decisions and wrong decisions

2.      Grey situation: something that's not necessarily right or wrong

3.      Difficult situations: a choice between two good things

Kingdom of God and the Parable of Ten Minas

Parable ten Minas

Luke 19.11 – 27

The story goes like this:

Jesus was going to Jerusalem and he was near to it.

The disciples and other gatherings thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.

As answer to their expectation, Jesus told them that the King had to go to the emperor and his kingdom.

So he will be absent for a period time.

To explain this truth Jesus said a parable.

A certain nobleman went into a far place to meet the emperor.

His intention was to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return.

He wanted the emperor to appoint him as the king of the province where he lived.

Importance of Individual Resource Management

Poverty is bad resource management

Introduction

This study is about the importance of individual resource management.

Collective resource management, as in a corporate office, is not discussed here.

Every individual has resources sufficient for reaching the summit of success.

It is our choice to manage the resources well and succeed or neglect and fail.

For illustrating my argument I am using reference from history as cited in the Bible, a parable of Jesus and the famous quote about the gazelle and the lion.

Run the race of faith

1corinthians 9.24 – 27
24 Do you not know that those who run in the stadium all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
25 And everyone who competes exercises self-control in all things. Thus those do so in order that they may receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.
26 Therefore I run in this way, not as running aimlessly; I box in this way, not as beating the air.
27 But I discipline my body and subjugate it, lest somehow after preaching to others, I myself should become disqualified.

2 Timothy 2 . 5  And also if anyone competes he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

Introduction

Paul used the image of running race – the marathon.
Marathon is a race running for more than 42 Kms or more than 26 miles.
The image is from Greek culture

Paul is encouraging the believers to strive to reach a goal

The story of the hirelings

Luke 15:17 - And having come to himself, he said, How many hirelings of my father have a superabundance of bread, and I here with hunger am perishing! (YLT)

Lost and Found

Luke chapter 15 is a chapter of ‘lost and found’

Jesus says three parables with the theme of lost and found

1.      Parable of the lost sheep

2.      Parable of the lost coin

3.      Parable of the lost son

Jesus was explaining why he is rejoicing with sinners.

He equates the gathering to a group of ‘lost and found’

Jesus was trying to communicate the joy in heaven when a lost is found

To illustrate the situation He tells three parables

The three parables

Luke 15

The first parable is about the lost and found sheep

The second is about the lost and found drachma

The third is about the lost and found son