The Center of God's Will


"The safest place in the world is to be in the center of God's will." 
Those were the words of a woman who has spent most of her life 
sharing the love of Jesus Christ in a culture so different from ours, 
that most of us who were listening to her story could not imagine 
living the life she described. She has moved into a culture, where 
life-threatening experiences were the norm, the language was 
completely unfamiliar, and where the customs and way of life were 
completely different from anything she had ever known. By following 
God's lead, she has seen and experienced His power, His mercy, and 
His protection. As she told her story, she stated with great 
confidence that, "The safest place in the world is to be in the 
center of God's will."

Let that thought sink in: "The safest place in the world is to be in 
the center of God's will."

When one reads the Scriptures or studies the lives of the faithful 
from the pages of God's Word, it would be difficult to argue anything else.

Throughout the pages of the Bible, we read of men and women who lived 
through difficult times, survived seemingly impossible situations, 
left the familiar for the unknown, endured life-threatening 
conditions, and some lost their lives for their mission and their 
faithfulness. But they honored and pleased God!
They lived and rested in His promises.
They were in the center of God's will.

For this seventy-five year old woman, there is no doubt the safest 
place in the world is to be in the center of God's will. Scripture 
confirms it as true. What about you? Do you believe that the safest
place in the world is to be in the center of God's will? Do you agree 
that the safest place in the world is to be in the center of God's will?

To reverse the thought: if the safest place in the world is to be in 
the center of God's will, then the most dangerous place in the world 
is to be out of God's will.

It's a serious matter which leads to a very serious question: How do 
I know if I am at the center of God's will?

A similar question was posed to Jesus by the religious leaders of His 
day. They asked it in a different way, and their motives were not so 
pure, but their desire to know and be in God's will was just as real as
ours: Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees 
got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested Him with this 
question: "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" 
Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with 
all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest 
commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as 
yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two 
commandments." (Matthew 22:34-40).

There's our answer. Love God above all else. Love people as much as 
you love yourself. Love God with your whole heart, and love people 
like God loves them. If we live like that, we can have confidence 
that we are at the center of God's will, and thus, be in the safest 
place in the world.

We can live that kind of life.
Want to feel safe? Love God and love people. Want to be confident 
that you are doing God's will? Love God and love people. Want to live 
a life that has meaning and purpose and value? Love God
and love people. A life lived that pleases God and lived to love 
people is a life lived on the edge, a life filled with adventure, and 
perhaps a life of danger. But, it is also life at the center of God's will.

We can live that kind of life. We can enjoy that kind of life. We can 
enjoy it. Then, we can share that kind of life.

Let's do it! Let's live in the safest place in the world ... the 
center of God's will.