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God Has a Will and a Purpose
February 04 2019
We often think of the will of God in terms of His direction for our personal lives, things like what job we should take, where we should live, and who we should marry. But the Bible shows us that God has a will related to something He wants for Himself. The words in Revelation 4:11 bring this fact home to us:
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power, for You have created all things, and because of Your will they were, and were created.”
This verse doesn’t simply tell us God created all things; it tells us why God created everything. He created all things because of His will. Surely His will here is for more than the direction of our individual lives.
[PLACE_BIBLE]
Note 2 in the New Testament Recovery Version on will says this:
“God is a God of purpose, having a will of His own pleasure. He created all things for His will that He might accomplish and fulfill His purpose. This book [Revelation], which unveils God’s universal administration, shows us the purpose of God. Hence, in the twenty-four elders’ praise to God concerning His creation, His creation is related to His will.”
Cross-reference “d” on will directs us to Ephesians 1:11, which says,
“In whom also we were designated as an inheritance, having been predestinated according to the purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of His will.”
God has a purpose He wants to fulfill. So He not only created all things for His will but also works all things according to the counsel of His will. He doesn’t do things aimlessly or without intention. Everything He does is according to the counsel of His will. Even God’s predestinating of us is according to His purpose.
From these two verses alone we can see that God has something in His heart He wants to accomplish for Himself, and that it includes us. What is that purpose? What is God’s will?
To learn more about God’s will, read our post What Does God Want?
Order a free copy of the New Testament Recovery Version study Bible here to explore more cross-references and notes on God’s will.