What does gratitude have to do with the will of God? Can we be ungrateful and be walking in the will of God for our lives? Is a posture of thanksgiving essential to joy and obediently discerning and living out God’s perfect will?

Gratitude and God’s will go hand in hand. As followers of Jesus we are called to give thanks in all circumstances. Rejoicing, prayer, and thanksgiving is essential to living in God’s will.

The Apostle Paul spoke to the church in Thessalonica about living in the will of God, encouraging them by saying, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV).

While rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, and giving thanks in every circumstance is challenging in a broken world, where many are ungrateful, or do not see all there is to be thankful for, followers of Jesus are called to this high standard, as difficult as it is. It is out of alignment with God’s word and design to be fully within the will of God and be ungrateful at the same time.

What does it mean that Jesus Christ is our king? What does it look like to be ruled and governed by God—our Good King? What does the Kingdom of God look like?

As followers of Jesus, we believe Jesus is our King and he will usher in his Kingdom in the world.

The early Israelites had no king in the days of the Judges, after the concurring and the settling of the promised land. The book of Judges tells us, “In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” (Judges 21:25, ESV).

The people of God were to be ruled by the one true God in a theocracy, and not in a monarchy like the pagan nations around them.

How is your faithfulness concerning the big things God is asking you to do? How about the little things? How are you being faithful with what God has given you?

As followers of Jesus, we are each called to be faithful in all things, even in the little things that God has given us.

In the Parable of the Talents in Matthew’s Gospel account, Jesus says the Kingdom of God is ”like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.” (Matthew 25:14, ESV).

We have been entrusted to steward, or to manage, God’s property. We have been given a sacred trust to manage the resources of God in order to honor him and to advance his kingdom in the world.

Are you ready for the return of Jesus? Are you encouraged that Jesus will return? Are you prepared for the return of Jesus and his coming kingdom?

Followers of Jesus should be encouraged that Jesus is returning.

We can be comforted with the truth of God’s presence with us, and his returning to us with his physical presence. We are and will forever be with the Lord.

Jesus is our present and returning King.

The Apostle Paul wrote the Thessalonian Church, saying, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, ESV).

What does God think about unrest and war? What is God’s plan for war and for the nations?

God will judge the nations with his perfect justice. God will settle the disputes of every nation. God is a God of peace, and he intends to bring his peace to the nations. God’s will is to end all war for all of time.

Every instrument of war will become an instrument of cultivation in the hands of God’s kingdom agents who are working to participate in the restoration of all things.

The prophet Isaiah spoke of God’s restorative work, saying, “He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4, ESV).

What does God require of us? What is the greatest commandment in God’s law? How should the follower of God live their life?

To live obedient and fruitful lives, we must love God and our neighbor. Jesus summed up the entire law this way, “love God and love your neighbor.” The greatest and first commandment is love God. The second greatest commandment is love your neighbor.

A Pharisee and lawyer sought to test Jesus, calling him “teacher,” and asking, “‘Which is the great commandment in the Law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’” (Matthew 22:36-40, ESV).

In what ways have you turned away from God and his commandments? How do you need to return to God?

When God feels far away from us, it is usually the case that we have turned away from God and his commandments.

When we are distant from God, we can regain intimacy with God by returning to him and by obeying his word.

In the Minor Prophet book of Malachi, God spoke to his people saying, “From the days of your fathers you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’” (Malachi 3:7, ESV).

What belongs to the governing authorities? What belongs to God? As followers of Jesus, what should we give to the government and what should we give to God?

As followers of Jesus, we have a responsibility to the authorities and to the governing bodies who are over us, recognizing that it is God who has given us all things, it is God who has put government in place, and it is God who has given authority.

All things belong to God and God has given us all things.

This dynamic of giving the governing authority their due, while simultaneously giving God his due, is what Jesus was addressing when he was being tested by the Pharisees and the religious leaders in Matthew 22:15-22, when the Pharisees plotted how they would entangle Jesus in his words.

What is it like for you to imagine heaven? Have you considered what God’s Kingdom will be like? Are you confident you have an invitation to join God in his Kingdom? Are you making preparations to join the heavenly feast?

Most of us do not regularly consider heaven. We certainly do not make preparations for the life to come when we are so consumed by this life and our present cares and concerns.

In Matthew’s gospel account, Jesus told a parable of the Kingdom of God, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son” (Matthew 22:8-10, ESV).

Do you see yourself as a tenant in God’s vineyard? What kind of tenant are you? Are you a good tenant? Are you a faithful tenant? Does God get his due?

In the Parable of The Wicked Tenants in the Vineyard, Jesus tells a story of a man who planted a vineyard and leased it out to tenants with the expectation they would cultivate the vineyard and pay him some of the fruit at harvest time.

The wicked tenants in the vineyard refused to give the owner of the vineyard his fruit and killed his servants whom he sent to collect payment, not once, but several times.

Matthew’s gospel account tells us, “Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.” (Matthew 21:37-39, ESV).

What does it mean to listen to God? How do we know we are doing God’s will? How do we live within the will of God?

Followers of Jesus are to hear the word of God and do the word of God. We can know the will of God by knowing God’s word. We can know we are living in the will of God by doing what God’s word says.

In John’s Gospel account, Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15, ESV).

James, the half brother of Jesus, wrote, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22, ESV).

You may have heard the expression, “Talk is cheap.” God is less concerned with what we know, and with what we say we will do to obey him, as he is concerned with us being faithful in doing what he says.

Have you ever asked the question, or thought, “What is in it for me?” Have you ever weighed the cost versus the benefit of a situation or choice?

Sacrificially and obediently following Jesus can be costly. If we are honest with ourselves and with God, we may wonder if following Jesus is worth it.

Can we trust God with our lives? Can we trust God to treat us justly? Does God have our best interest in mind?

In Matthew’s gospel account, after Jesus confronted a young rich man concerning valuing his riches above following him, Jesus’ own disciples questioned what benefit they would receive as a result of sacrificially following him.

Are you making the most of the time that you have to do the work of God’s Kingdom in the world? How much time do you have to do the work of God? When did God call you into His Vineyard? How long have you been laboring? How much longer do you have to do the work God has given you to do?

Each of us is called to do the Kingdom work of God in the world. We are laborers invited into the master’s vineyard.

In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus tells the parable of the laborers who are hired to work in the master’s vineyard. Jesus said, “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.” (Matthew 20:1, ESV).

In the first century Jewish context, a day was considered sun up to sundown, 6:00am-6:00pm, and was divided into four three-hour segments (ESV Study Bible, Crossway, © 2008). In John’s Gospel, Jesus said, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.” (John 11:9 ESV).

What is the debt you owe God? What debt do you owe others? Could you live long enough, make enough resources, and have enough time to pay off all your debts?

We all have been forgiven an unforgivable debt by God. We owe God everything and we could never repay him for all he has given us.

We have also sinned against God and our neighbor to an extent that we could never repay what we owe, or restore all that we have lost. We could never pay full restitution for the transgressions we have committed in this life.

Before telling the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Peter came up and said to Jesus, “‘Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.’” (Matthew 18:21-22, ESV).

How can you pray when you do not have the words to say? When you are too weak to speak how do you cry out to God?

When we are too weak to pray and do not have the words to say to God, the Holy Spirit helps us pray.

The Apostle Paul wrote the believers in Rome, saying, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Romans 8:26, ESV).

What reward do we experience from living in humility and fearing God?

God’s word promises us an abundance, honor, and life when we look to God above ourselves and reverence God above everything.

The wisdom of the Proverbs tells us, “The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life.” (Proverbs 22:4, ESV).

Where is God when you are not at your strongest and afraid? Do you wait for God when you are weak and fearful?

When we come to the end of our own strength and courage, it can be difficult to see how God is working. It is in these challenging and scary moments that we need to trust God and wait on God the most.

The Psalmist writes, “Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!” (Psalm 31:24, ESV).

Are you being overcome, or are you overcoming?

We can be overcome by the evil in this world, or we can overcome evil with God’s goodness.

The Apostle Paul wrote the church in Rome, encouraging them, saying, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:21, ESV).

Who do you believe Jesus is? How has your belief in Jesus shaped how you live out your faith in life?

Our belief about Jesus shapes how we believe in Jesus and how we orchestrate our lives. There is a difference in knowing about God and actually knowing God and living out our faith in the world. If Jesus is who he says he is, this truth changes everything.

In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus asked his disciples to identify who he is. Matthew tells us, “Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is? And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’” (Matthew 16:13-14, ESV).

Where did all things come from? How do things come to be? What is the purpose of life and what is the end?

Every worldview and religion seeks to answer five essential questions: 1. Where did I come from? 2. Why is there such a mess in the world? 3. Is there any hope? 4. What am I here for? And 5. What happens to me when I die?

The Bible lays out a narrative that comprehensively answers these five questions in four storylines: 1. The creation of God. 2. The fall of humanity. 3. God’s rescue plan of sending Jesus to die and resurrect to overcome and defeat the sin of the world. And 4. God’s restoration of all things through his resurrection and his coming kingdom.

The Apostle Paul wrote a theologically comprehensive statement about God and his redemptive story in his benediction in his letter to the believers in Rome. In chapter eleven, verse thirty-six, Paul wrote, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36, ESV).