Before I start, I must mention that we didn't exactly go through this lesson last week as planned. We had one of youth give his testimony last week, and, along with Shane's words, they indirectly hit on this lesson about God's will for our lives. So, shout out to Kaleb Johnson and Shane for hitting on the highlight of my lesson last week. Now, for some commentary about the lesson I wrote.

I'm going to be honest, I've asked God numerous times what His will was for my life. There have been times where I've uttered the same words Jesus did in the garden before He was arrested, "Not my will, but Yours be done." We all seem to question, just like with God's call for our lives, His will for our lives.

We have to note something very important. To accomplish God's call for our lives, we must seek His will for our lives. That's obvious, but what is His will for our lives?.

We find this will for our lives in Matthew 16:24-28. Prior to this passage, Jesus has predicted His death and resurrection, and He has also established Peter as the "rock" of His church (see Matthew 16:18). Jesus tells us that we should take up our cross daily and follow Him. In Luke 9:23, He takes this a step further and says to take up our cross daily and follow Him.

What does He mean by "take up our cross daily?" According to the late Rev. Billy Graham, what Jesus meant by this is that we need to put to death our own plans and desires, turning our lives over to Him and seeking to do His will daily. To put it in simpler terms, nothing in this world compares to God's will for our lives.

While we should seek to do His will daily, it should be noted that following Jesus is not always easy. We make excuses. We put it off. We're afraid to talk about what God has done for us to those we work or go to school with because we fear they will shun us or make fun of us. Just like those in Luke 9:57-62, we give an excuse when Jesus asks us to follow Him. "I'll do it when I'm out of school." "I'll do it when I have more money." "I'll do it when I have a wife and family." We often give excuses for not following Jesus or putting His will off.

In Romans 12:1-2, Paul gives us an idea of what Jesus calls us to, aside from simply following Him. Paul tells us that we shouldn't be conformed to this age, which in modern society, I believe means don't succumb to the false teachings, peer pressure, or doubts that are rampant in this age. Paul also tells us we should be transformed, seeking the perfect will of God. We will look more in depth at the transformation and reconciliation next.

The whole point of this week's message put simply, is God's will for our lives is to follow Jesus, seeking daily to look more like Him and live out the Gospel. Following Jesus is not always easy, there are temptations everywhere we turn. However, if we stand strong and stand firm in His word, we will seek His direction. I had an old pastor, Bro. Bud Swindall, who said, "You can't follow Jesus if you don't know which way He went." We find out where Jesus leads us by reading His word and seeking to follow Him anywhere, even if it means He is taking us out of our comfort zone.