Those were the words of a woman who has spend 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 serous 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.

 

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Title: "The Center of God's Will"
Author: Tom Norvell
Publication Date: February 24, 2008

The Gift for All People by Max Lucado A celebration of God's gift of salvation wrapped in a collection of inspirational stories.

Tom Norvell is the author of "A Norvell Note." He ministers at the Hermitage Church of Christ in Hermitage, Tennessee.

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