The will of God and the will of man. Teachings of the Optina Elders
The will of God - what is it? This is the wording given by Wikipedia: "The will of God consists in the complete passivity of the human soul, in the complete surrender of oneself into the hands of God, or in the final destruction of the human will." Funny? Sad?
The will of God... To live according to the will of God... How often these words are put to us, Orthodox, as a reproach for our lack of independence, infantilism, laziness! How often do we Orthodox throw these words around to justify our own laziness and infantilism! How rarely do we think about their true meaning, about the influence of this very will in our lives ...
Archimandrite Sophrony (Sakharov) said wonderful words: “It is a great blessing to surrender to the will of God. Then the Lord is alone in the soul, and there is no other thought, and it prays to God with a pure mind, and feels the love of God, although it suffers in body.” But how rarely does this happen ... I remember the first time in my life when I consciously called on the Lord to show me His will. I just entered the Church. She then worked two jobs as a chief accountant. In one firm there was a small salary, but a free schedule and people with whom many difficult moments were experienced and who helped me a lot. But in another, they gave me an ultimatum: we will raise your salary to 20 thousand (it was 2001 in the yard), but you will have to work only we have. The offer was very tempting. But something tossed and turned inside - conscience, or what? And I, as best I could, began to ask: “Lord, tell me what to do right? What is more correct: to choose material wealth for the family or to stay where people simply cannot pay more, and it will be difficult for them to hire another accountant? And so I prayed all day. By the evening you have to go to the "monetary" work, give an answer. I’m riding in a minibus, praying and saying to myself: “Leave for a big salary? .. Stay in the old company? ..” And suddenly, when I say “stay”, it’s as if a heavy lump bursts in my chest, it brightens in my eyes - and such unearthly joy!!! All doubts disappeared, I calmly arrived, refused the place, quit. And I never regretted it later, although, I will not hide, it was very difficult to reduce my requests to the level of the remaining income.
Later, when I came to the Church, to the Sisterhood, I realized that the will of God is always with us. It is spilled around, the correct answer lies literally on the surface - stretch out your hand and take it. What's stopping you? Why are we wrong so many times?
Most likely because indulge to this very will to us - oh, how we don’t want to. Rather, we want this will to coincide with ours. For God to arrange under us Your will. Hence thousands of crippled destinies. How often, having failed to fulfill some assignment, we say, justifying ourselves: "It means that it was the will of God." We directly declare ourselves to be the conductors of this will! I did not sign the documents, as a result of which the homeless person is forced to go out into the street? Well, that means that this is the will of God about this bum... Can you imagine how scary it is? We completely forget that the will of God is desire God's and allowance God's. And your "jamb" with documents, of course, became God's permission for this poor fellow, but you yourself did not fulfill God's desire for this person to find shelter for himself!
Thomas Aquinas said beautifully: "Pray as if everything depends on God, and do it as if everything depends on you." It is in this union of our will and the Divine that we must live and work. Then we will be able to see the will of God, feel it around us, use His help. Indeed, after all, no one has ever taken away our free will, but what if it is aimed at satisfying one's "I"? If you are looking for any reason not to go to the service of your neighbor, if in the first place you have own problems, how can you merge with the Divine will, how can you accept in my life and desires and allowances His? But first of all, you need to accept all this precisely in his life. And often it turns out that in your life you accept wish God's, and you generously sow Him for strangers allowances...
By the way, I am sure that if the Lord deems it necessary to convey something to you, He will reveal His will through any first person you meet. Again, an example from my life. When my father died, who left us a long time ago and was not interested in me or his grandson, our confessor said that now I have to go to the department for forty days additionally for his father. That is, if everyone goes in the evening, I must also go in the morning, and vice versa. Walked and cried. From anger - at the confessor, at the father, at herself, that she obeyed ... And, as luck would have it, what diaper you can’t open is full ... I’m almost crying out loud, and then I go up to the woman lying in a coma, and I hear from her: "Child, what a holy work you are doing now!". Hair stood on end, legs buckled ... And that's it. The tears are gone, the anger is gone, the soul is quiet joy. And although it was still hard and reluctant, but I heard the will of God, obeyed, - and the Lord gave strength to endure.
Surrendering oneself to the will of God is, in my opinion, the greatest work and the most salutary achievement. Because then the soul is at peace. This is not the "destruction of the human will", but its multiplication, its improvement. Only then does the soul of man reach that perfection which God has destined for it. How I want to overcome my laziness and negligence, my anger and pride in order to receive this gift! But you understand that before that, for now, it’s like walking to the moon. Sometimes you grumble, sometimes you humble yourself - and you say: "All the will of God" ...
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I saw different youth, different families: happy and not so happy. Everyone has their own family, after all. It is necessary to watch from childhood how people's lives developed, maybe mistakes were made somewhere. And it happens that parents give everything they can to their children: both faith and an honest, hardworking, moral life - and one of the children growing up can go astray from the good path. And before you can again be in the bosom of the home church, you need to endure a lot of adversity, to see the world with different eyes.
Girls from our parish, their parents, once approached me, asking me to pray: the girl graduated from the institute, she would like to find a husband. Of course, you are very sympathetic, seeing that both the parents are good, and the daughter is good, and she wants happiness. But how to find family happiness?
Elder Paisius Svyatogorets has a book called “Family Life”, which, I think, should become a reference book in every family. It can be read and re-read, especially for young people - it is so deep and comprehensive, everything in it is laid out in order. It can be used as a lifeline. If you feel that something is wrong in the family, take this book as soon as possible and read it. You will not only learn something useful, but even the peaceful spirit of the book will be transferred to you. You will calm down, you will immediately see your guilt, peace and silence will be restored in the family. I think young people should definitely have this book.
I think every person has their own half. And you need to be prepared to meet her. Of course, when a person is born, the Lord already knows his future, but still He gives the opportunity to choose his path. There is always a choice of which path to take.
Mother's Prayer
There are, of course, God's chosen ones who are given to help us - these are well-known saints. The Lord chose them, seeing the parental feat, and their parents were already lamplighters. The Lord chose them so that later they could pray for the whole world, help us with their prayer and help. They lead us through life, we protect ourselves by their intercessions before the Lord, by their love. Here you ask Saint Nicholas: “Saint Nicholas, help me, dear. You are a friend of Christ, you are his chosen one of God, given to us by God. Don't leave me, help me, you see everything and know everything.
Their path was determined by God, but in life people have freedom. In any life issue, a person has a choice: how to act, how to behave, what to choose in life. And there is always a choice of how to act: according to the will of God or according to your own whim, according to your own stubbornness. Mom tells children, for example, 16-17 years old, that you need to do this, I feel this way in my soul, you better come here, but you don’t want to, this is not accepted by children. I want to go through some bumps and snowdrifts, so that after a while I understand that I did wrong. Maybe the Lord gives such bumps so that later a person rushes to the Lord, repentance and correct his life? The Church accepts such repentance, and everything can happen in life. But what about parents? After all, they care so much for the children.
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If we talk about today's youth, I saw different things: the youth of our parish, my children, their friends. At school age, they were friends together, went to church, prayed, walked together - lived one life. When the school ended, everyone fled in all directions, and there were already some new meetings, friends. They hear different opinions and, out of weakness of spirit, accept them. This is where the path is chosen: the one you lived before or the one you are now facing. You are weak, you want something easier, and new friends don’t seem to do anything so bad, so you follow them. And so you go off your path gradually, - the enemy is cunning, imperceptibly pushes you out of the way. It seems like it's normal - you can do a lot, but others do it too. And so, by this gradualness, many departed from the Church, from the faith, and then completely lost.
Daughters - future mothers
The leaven and foundation for life is given only in the family, and this is the most important thing for a person. Therefore, the way of the family is very important, how parents live among themselves. The child repeats his parents, their words and expressions - absorbs everything into himself. When he grows up, friends also play an important role for him. This is where the struggle between matter and spirit begins. And God grant wisdom, patience and love!
There used to be a tradition of family house-building. The boys were given to study, so that he could do a lot with his hands, so that his hands would become golden, and what he did not touch, it went well in his hands - he could do any work. In such work, the spirit, strength, and confidence are strengthened. When a person works with his hands, he gains patience. And patience is simply necessary in human life. Thanks to this, he will be able to take someone under his wing. They always tried to teach girls how to run a household so that she could do a lot with her hands - sew, embroider, cook, wash. Now we have come to the conclusion that we have completely destroyed the traditions of house-building.
How did the mother teach her daughter? From what age should a daughter already take care of herself, her thoughts, desires? After all, a mother always sees her daughter, the talents that God gave her, which need to be developed and directed. So that my daughter would try harder on this, so that later she could give to people, to God. After all, every person has a lot of talents, and we don’t even know that we have them. If a person lives a good life, then the Lord reveals all the talents in a person, throughout his life, even if he has no education. So mom goes to talk with her daughter, they open up to each other. Also with sons. It is desirable that dad talks with sons, but mom also plays a very important role.
That's how it is with our girls. I always tried to set them up for the fact that they are future mothers. For the first time I felt real help from my eldest daughter at the age of 10. From the age of 10, I began to tell her that she was a future mother and housewife, and she had to learn a lot to do. I always lived at home with the children, so I always knew what they were talking about, I always heard how they communicate with each other. A simple situation - Liza or Natasha, they were still small, sitting on the sofa, I go into the room, and they have some kind of position: whether the dress is pulled up, or they are sitting on their legs. I always paid attention to this, I said: well, sit down decently, you are a girl, straighten your dress, remember that the Lord is always before you, He is always looking at you. This is all very important.
Of course, they always help in the kitchen in everything, participate. Since our children were born, the elders were responsible for the younger ones in everything. I taught them how to feed and swaddle, how to take care of the baby and how to put him down, explained why the baby was crying. I have always cooked them.
She herself always prayed that the Lord would give them a good husband, a Christian, so that everything would be fine with them. I always asked the Lord, the Mother of God, the Saints, whom you know, whom you trust, who are in your heart.
Here, for example, Lyubochka. When I asked her what she asks for, when she approaches the relics, when she prays in front of the icons. She answered - she asks the Lord to send her a good husband, and this is already at the age of 13. It was a simple childish prayer. They saw our relationship with dad when he was still alive. Lyubochka is now only 17 years old, and the Lord has already sent her a very kind and very deeply religious person, a future priest, we have known him for more than 10 years.
We must surrender ourselves to the will of God
I think that it is impossible to make a goal out of finding your soul mate. And you have to surrender yourself to the Will of God. Yet from the Lord, we do not do everything from ourselves.
It is very important here, when a girl wants to get married, that the girl first of all prays herself. If the parents are good, they also pray, submit notes, take on the feat. I saw many parents who begged their daughters for a husband, refused some pleasures until the moment when the daughter finds a husband. And the Lord always sent.
I knew one girl who every year on January 1, at a time when everyone was walking around after New Year's Eve, and she was driving to the Komsomolskaya station early in the morning at half past five. And from there - to Sergiev Posad to St. Sergius. And there she begged him to send her a good husband, faithful to God. So she went for six years. She was very quiet and humble, just praying. And the Lord sent her a very good little man, and I know that everything will be fine soon.
There are many Saints. And what is our Saint Nicholas for? He is also the Organizer, He is such a Quick Helper.
I heard a lot about the guys from the Seminary. They only need to get married once. And nowadays it is very difficult to choose. There are cases when at first everything is fine, meets, loves, goes to the temple, good, there are no minuses. They get married, and she says that she has done her job, prayed and stops working spiritually. Everything happens in life. Or after marriage they say that if they knew what awaits, they would never marry priests. After all, being a mother is a lot of work. And not everyone can work. So, a man of weak faith. Where do you think your love has gone? Many questions arise. Have you thought about the future of this person, because he cannot marry a second time. A lot of problems then appear. Therefore, it happens that the guys for all 5 years, while studying, go to the Mother of God to bow: "Mother of God, send me a good mother in my life." So he entrusts himself to Her, that She sends them. Many people do this. Who is the Mother of God, who is praying to St. Nicholas. So every day: "Send me a good one, send me a good one." For such humility and is given. Every time you drip, drip, and someday the bucket will overflow.
If, of course, you will demand from the Lord - give me now - then, of course, you will not receive it. And if with humility... watch with what feeling you stand before the Lord... after all, He looks at your heart, what is in your heart, in your soul? Do you demand your whim? Or maybe you're not ready yet? Or maybe you have poor health, and you can’t bear a strong child, maybe you still need to live alone for a year, so that the Lord everything inside, thanks to Communion, invisible to us, corrects everything. The Lord cares about each of us, wants good for everyone.
In addition, there should not be high expectations from the future chosen one. If you invent everything for yourself, it will be very difficult to find such a person. And you pray to the Lord, give yourself into His hands, let Him give you the person you need. So you met a man, you must show his parents, confessor, or maybe they will feel something wrong. You still need to get their blessing. Maybe the parents will understand that he looks at life in a completely different way, but you have not seen it yet. You need to tell your daughter carefully. You take your time. Wait, calmly, take a walk, do not promise anything, look at how he is. Can he be your patron, the father of your children? Maybe he just wants to have fun, not getting married, not signing. There's a lot here. Here both the soul and the heart should prompt - if you sincerely pray.
Although I did not have an inner realization that Fedyusha was my man, when I met him, I was still just a child, I knew little about life. I graduated from the 10th grade in a deaf village. Somehow I got into their kitchen ... by God's providence, of course. I work there, washing dishes, and suddenly such a young man saw me. Father Fedor always told everyone if he was asked that he believes in love at first sight, because that's how he fell in love with me.
So you need to rely on the Will of God. You need to ask the Lord, not to demand, but to ask, because you believe in the Lord, trust Him.
Girls mistake
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That's how one girl - she is now dating a boy, but she is not going to marry him. Why meet then? She replies that she needs to find out what guys are, what their views are, what are the pros and cons. Can a Christian think like that? Of course not. Every person has pros and cons. Only love can help overcome them! And by the grace of God, you will never see cons in this person! Elder Paisius said that this is how the Lord determines that one is hot himself, and the wife is meek, quiet, humble. After all, it is God's gift to have such a wife, then they get along with each other. She humbles herself, she sees his qualities that she does not have. She approves that he is what he is, and bears his weakness on herself. She will save herself, and he is saved by this. He is surprised at her meekness, he loves her for it, he is ready to lay down his life for her. Or, for example, the wife is obstinate, then the husband must be humble so that he remembers that he still loves her, no matter what she is. There is pride in her, but there is something else, she is the mother of his children. With her, he is before God, which means he deserved such a wife. It means that in his youth he behaved, perhaps incorrectly, with his mother. Such a wife was given to him by God for salvation. And the children, seeing the harmonious relationship of their parents, they are surprised, they come out very good.
This is the mistake of girls who strive to get an education, during this time they walk with the guys, they lose and scatter what God has given them, and then they are left with nothing.
Some girls, young people, are trying to build a career. I even know a girl who says she can't afford marriage right now because she's building a career. At the same time she walks with the guys. I warn her that this will not lead to anything good. If she really wants to get married, then she should seriously look at the guys. If a Christian, then try to find a person with whom she would have the same goal in life. If the spirit is different, then very great difficulties always arise in family life. And not everyone can bear such a cross.
In the family - a single spirit
The spirit is what a person strives for in life, what is his goal and his life itself. And if we are talking about Christians, then the goal of our life is to reach the Kingdom of Heaven, to try in our lives to bring good to the people around us, to be merciful to them, to try to help them. Therefore, the husband must be of the same spirit with you, so that his goal would be the same. After all, you need to educate your children in faith, in love for God and for people, but not for this life. Many parents tell their children to enjoy and live this life, because we only live once.
And what is the goal of the chosen one? And he may want something completely different. He may want to buy something, want to go somewhere, dress in a completely different way. After all, if you now live for this world, it means that you cannot be the same as you are now, modest, which means that you need to behave in a completely different way. Now a person is often accepted in society by what company a person has on his clothes. But the most important thing is what kind of soul, what kind of heart a person has. So think about what kind of husband you want to choose for yourself.
If you choose a husband of other values, you will live for a year and see that he is not happy with you, because of this you cannot go to a bar, lead an easier life. Then he will go to the left, to another woman, and you have a child, and you get unhappy children and wives. It happens, but rarely, that through some trials a husband comes to faith through a believing wife. After all, the apostle Paul says that the unbeliever is illuminated by a believing wife. It is necessary to be 100% sure that your chosen one is a moral person. The law of God rests on morality, doesn't it? It is necessary that he be kind, that his heart be kind, that he be merciful. Then we can already say that he is Christ. Then you are a wife, a Christian, and he still does not believe in Christ, but he sees your life. And he can follow you and be sanctified by you. And if this person has a different inner content, then there will be great difficulties.
Recorded by Nadezhda Antonova.
“Thy will be done, as in Heaven and on earth” - the words from the Lord's prayer, which every believing Orthodox Christian should read every day. Often these are really just words for us that we mechanically proofread every day. But now, a crucial moment comes in our life, when they cease to be just words - but become the meaning of our life with you!
May Your will be done ... How to live according to the will of God?
To live according to the will of God means not to become discouraged and despair from the sorrows and calamities that happen, for everything that happens to us happens exclusively according to the will of God, therefore, it serves for our salvation.
To live according to the will of God means to place all your hope and all your hope exclusively in God, and not in material savings and not in your friends.
As long as we think that we are not afraid of any troubles, since we have a lot of money that will save us and help us out of any trouble - we live according to our will, and that is why we endure rebellion of the spirit, uncertainty about tomorrow and endless the fears that torment us.
The Lord said: “And so, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of its own; enough for every day of your care” (Mat. 6:34)
As long as we think that we are not afraid of any troubles, since we have many friends who will save and rescue us from any trouble, we live according to our will. And since we do not know where and in what our salvation is, we go our own way, leading not to salvation, but to destruction.
It is very difficult for us people to live according to the will of God, for we are accustomed to pleasing our flesh and our vain mind. The holy righteous John of Kronstadt correctly said about us:
“We only call the Lord God, but in reality we have our own gods, because we do not do the will of God, but the will of our flesh and thoughts, the will of our heart, our passions; our gods are our flesh…”
First we live according to our will, and then we repeat: “Lord, Lord, save us, we are perishing!” We blame the people and circumstances around us for our troubles and misfortunes, while we ourselves are to blame for everything, for we live not according to God, but according to our own will.
When a person completely and completely surrenders himself into the hands of God, when he does not seek his own, but God, when he builds his life not according to his own will and understanding - but only if it were the will of the Lord in everything - that person does not blame other people for his sufferings, because he knows that everything has been sent down to us by the Lord God for our own purification and salvation.
How to live according to the will of God? It means not to make material reserves for yourself, but to distribute all your wealth to the poor, and to hope in this life not for money, but for God. Do not think about tomorrow, do not make plans for the future life, because a person expects - but God disposes.
In conclusion, I would like to show with a parable that by trusting our lives to God alone, we receive goodness and salvation for ourselves!
“A peasant who had a beautiful stallion was considered the richest man in his village. And everyone envied him. But when his horse went to the steppe and did not return, they stopped envying him, and some even felt sorry for him. But the old man was not sad and was calm. He was asked:
Why is there no sadness on your face?
I don't know if that's good or bad, he replied.
But when his horse returned and brought with him a herd of wild horses from the steppe, everyone began to envy him again. And only the old man was not happy and was calm. He was asked again:
Why is there no joy on your face now?
It is not given to me to know whether this is good or bad - as he answered them the first time.
And when his son fell off his unbroken horse and injured his leg, some were sad, while others secretly rejoiced. But the peasant was calm. He was asked again, but he answered as before.
The war began, and all the guys were taken to the army, but his son was not taken, everyone began to envy him again. Only the old man himself did not grieve and did not rejoice, because everything is the Lord's will.
So let us, dear friends, always live only according to the will of God! And the Lord Himself will manage our life, which only in our eyes may seem complicated and tricky, in the eyes of God our life path is just one sentence of world history.
“he who has reached the cutting off of his will has reached a place of rest”
The words of the Lord that even a hair will not be lost from the head without the will of God apply to those who live according to His holy will. The Lord preserves such by His special Providence, and nothing happens to them without the will of God. The providence of God preserves, - this must be understood in such a way that the Lord protects every person so that he can live. The Lord provides everything for life: clothes, food. The Lord preserves the life of a person so that he has time to turn to God and repent.
But one must correctly understand the will of God: the action of the will of God is facilitating, but there is allowing. These concepts must be distinguished and must not be confused. The will of God is cooperating - it contributes to everything that serves for salvation. But the will of God has an action that allows. People live according to their passions and lusts. There is no will of God for this, She does not contribute to this, but allows it.
Figuratively, this can be expressed as follows: one wants to do good, and the other helps him in this - this is how the will of God works, contributing. And in another case: one does evil, and the other does not help and does not forbid, stands as if on the sidelines, and does not participate in this - this is how the will of God allows.
The providence of God preserves all. But with the righteous - everything happens only by the will of God. With those who do not live according to the will of God - according to God's permission. The Apostle Paul said: “... to those who love God, everything works together for good”(Rom. 8:28).
The Holy Fathers say that Christians should have three main qualities:
Our will must unite with the will of God, so that it is one with God in the likeness of the Son of Man - Jesus Christ. That's what Jesus said to Thomas “Don't you know that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words that I speak to you, I speak not of Myself: The Father who is in Me, He does the works.”(John 4:1).
If we abide in this likeness in Christ and Christ in us, this unity, together with the unity of the Father and the Son, unites us to the will of God. We commit our souls and bodies to the will of God. So we read: “Finally, my brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honest, whatever is just, whatever is kind, whatever is glorious, whatever is virtue and praise, think about that. What you have learned, what you have received and heard and seen in me, do it, and the God of peace be with you” (Phil. 4:8).
The will of God is what God requires of people. But, at the same time, the will of God is not only a requirement standing “above” a person or “before” a person, but also a mysterious inner influence by which God helps a person to do what he must do. When a person fulfills the requirement of God's will, he does it not only with his own will power, but also with that mysterious power or action of God, which is called grace. It follows from this that the will of God is not only an absolute moral requirement, but also a good gift, achieved in the unity, harmony and interaction of the human will with the will of God.
When God reveals His good will, man must not “counsel with flesh and blood” (Gal. 1:16) but must follow what is required of him by the Divine calling. “So I beseech you, brethren, by the mercy of God, present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, for your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may know what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God” (Rom. 6:9).
“... knowing that Christ, having risen from the dead, no longer dies: death no longer has power over him, for that he died, he died once for sin (having atoned for the sin of Adam, author), and that he lives, then lives for God. Likewise, reckon yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore, let not sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts...” (Rom. 12:1).
The Orthodox Church teaches and confesses that God's eternal predestination about the world and man does not exclude or eliminate the personal freedom of the individual. At the same time, God's predestination, understood as God's absolute foreknowledge of everything that happens in time, in no way limits the moral freedom of the human person.
“For it is the will of God that you sanctify yourself, so that each of you knows how to keep his vessel in holiness and honor. For God has not called us to uncleanness, but to holiness” (1 Thessalonians 4:3).
The Lord is omnipotent, loves us and wants to lead everyone to salvation. “And the world passes away, and its lust, but he who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:17).
The Holy Fathers use the theological concept of synergy (Greek synergos - acting together). We cannot be saved without God's grace, and it is given only to those who act according to the will of God.
God gave free will and does not save us by force. If everyone and in everything fulfilled the will of God, then the ideal state of the world would come: there would be no sinners and no spiritually perishing. That is why so much in the writings of the Holy Fathers is said about the fulfillment of the will of God.
Theologians distinguish two aspects in the will of God: the desire of God and the permission of God. The will of God is the absolute will of God, which wants eternal salvation for His creation - man. God wants good for us more than we want it for ourselves. But the absolute will of God encounters an obstacle in the free will of man, which oscillates between good and evil.
Free will is given to man as the image and likeness of God. Without the possibility of freedom of choice, there would be no good as such, and the actions of a person and even his internal actions would be guided by necessity. Free will is one of the main virtues of a person, and at the same time, a huge responsibility for him. Without free will, the very salvation of man cannot be realized, since salvation is communion with God - life with God, eternal approach to God, illumination and enlightenment of the human soul with divine light. A person must voluntarily choose the path of salvation - to have God as the main goal of his life. Salvation itself is the love of the Creator for His creation and of the creature for its Creator. Therefore, salvation is deeply personal. Theologians here use the term synergism, that is, the interaction of two wills - divine and human.
The conflict between the divine and human will gives rise to that relative will of God, which is called the assumption. God allows the direction of the human will not only in the direction of good, but also of evil. If God physically suppressed evil, then freedom would become a fiction, moreover, all of humanity would be doomed to destruction: after all, each of us committed serious sins, where only God's long-suffering saved him.
Because "there is none righteous, not even one ... all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:10,23). Only by faith in Jesus can we become righteous: “But to him who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness” (Rom. 4:5). In order for our faith to be reckoned for righteousness, works are needed, for “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). These are the essence of these things: do not sin, obey God, seek His face, His Kingdom.
Not to sin is not to have the works of the flesh: "... adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, magic, enmity, quarrels, envy, anger, strife, disagreements, (temptations), heresies, hatred, murders, drunkenness, outrageousness, and the like ..." (Gal 5:19-21). And things are needed: "...love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance..." (Gal. 5:22,23) are the fruits of the spirit.
The Monk John of the Ladder in his famous "Ladder" writes "what is from God mortifies the soul of a person, what is against God confuses the soul and leads it into a restless state."
Jesus teaches us to seek the only thing - this is the will of God: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). The kingdom of God is the will of God: “For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).
The freedom of the God-man of the Lord Jesus Christ in those manifestations, as it is described in the Holy Gospel, appears before us in a double aspect: it is freedom in obedience to the Heavenly Father and freedom of domination over natural necessity.
The free will of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the will of a perfect Man, followed the Divine will of the Father in everything: "Not what I want, but what You" (Mark 14:36); “not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). By His teaching, His deeds, and His whole life, Christ did not create His own will, but the will of the Father who sent Him, which contains the mystery of the future general resurrection. (John 6:38-39). The Gospel testifies that Christ was in the feat of struggle: the Gethsemane prayer was the triumph of the moral-volitional victory of the human nature of Christ over its natural weakness, dynamically acquired by Adam in the fall and potentially assimilated by the Son of God in the Incarnation, so that what was defeated in Adam won in Christ. In obedience to the Heavenly Father, the human freedom of Christ manifested and realized itself in all its ideal fullness.
The freedom of the God-Man in dominating natural necessity was manifested in His voluntary submission to the laws of the life of the world. By His infinite mercy, voluntarily, God the Word incarnated, entered into the sphere of specific natural and historical conditions. And although at every single moment of His earthly life the Son of God had the power to withdraw Himself from the influence of these historical social influences, He in His incarnation did not want to exceed the boundaries of the created nature with His Divine omnipotence, did not remove from Himself the inevitable death for every person.
Christ to the end shared the fate of a man who lost his original freedom and inherited physical doom and death. By subjecting Himself to natural necessity, the Son of God overcame the limitations of freedom imposed by it. Entering into the world, He entered the realm of being poisoned by evil, took on the flesh of a co-man who was under the burden of sin. The triumph of Christ over natural necessity was the supernatural miracles performed by Him, anticipating in time His victory over death and His glorious Resurrection. The absolute fullness of power over natural necessity was revealed by the God-Man in that He was free to give His life and free to take it again (John 10:18). The prerequisite for His Resurrection was the victory of the freedom of love over the horror of suffering and death that seized His human nature in the terrible hour of the night of Gethsemane. In the possession of love and freedom, He followed the will of the Heavenly Father.
A. Sokolovsky
Everything is the Will of God, and everything on earth happens only according to the Will of God, according to God's Providence. There will be only what God Himself has decided and determined! The Lord says in the Gospel (John 15-5) - "Without Me you can do nothing." There are many plans, desires and plans in the heart of a person, but only that will come true - what the Lord has determined. From this we get a very simple conclusion: since we know that if everything, absolutely everything, happens only strictly according to the Will of God, then it turns out that we simply need to turn to God in prayer before any business, asking Him for help, blessings and permission to start any business, and if the work that we are starting to do is pleasing to God, then this work will definitely turn out Good, Reliable and on time, and if God doesn’t like it, then everything will simply Stop and Fall apart, or, by God’s permission, will cast a person into temptation, into sin, and will bring harm to a person.
It is necessary to try to understand that only one Lord rules the entire existing world and everything in the entire Universe is subject and subject only to Him alone. If the Lord Himself does not bless, does not allow and does not do it, then no one, not a single person on the whole earth, will simply be able to do anything. The Bible says this about this: “If the Lord does not build a city, Those who build it work in vain;
If God DOES NOT KEEP the city, IT IS IN vain that he stays awake, GUARDS and does not sleep the guard.
The Gospel (Matthew ch. 6 31-34) says the following: “So do not be anxious and say: “What shall we eat?” or: “what to drink” or: “what to wear?” Because the pagans and the people of this world are looking for all this, and because your Heavenly Father Knows that you need all this. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, and all this will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of its own: enough for each day of its own care.
Many people are very worried about their future, they are not sure about it, and therefore they are afraid of it, that is, people are afraid that something bad will happen, they are afraid of misfortune and misfortune, they are afraid of poverty and poverty, they are afraid of loneliness or losing their loved ones and relatives, their children, fear for the lives and health of their neighbors. And the Lord says that there is no need to be afraid of anything, that the whole world and the life and fate of every person on earth is controlled by one God, and everything on earth Depends only on God's will.
Tomorrow, like the very life of a person, his health and happiness, all this depends only on God and is in the hands of the Lord, and DOES NOT DEPEND on a person at all. Therefore, the Lord says in the Gospel to all people on earth that people do not worry about tomorrow. "Enough for every day of your care"! That is, God says here that the main thing should be that people live their day honestly and kindly, treat all people well and deal fairly with them, do not violate the Laws of God and pray, ask God for Help, and God always will help people, save each person from any troubles and troubles and everything will be fine.
The future of every person begins - today! Live today - Worthy, be obedient to God and do not forget about Him. Be a kind and honest person and treat all people well, do not sin and the Lord will bless you Tomorrow, bless your Future, hear your prayer and save your family and friends! This is the whole secret of a prosperous human life.
The Kingdom of God means the reconciliation of a person with God, complete agreement with His Holy Will and with the obligatory fulfillment of God's Laws, reconciliation and agreement with one's life, and with oneself. Finding through this Peace and peace in yourself, in your soul, reconciliation with all people, gaining a sense of the Fear of God - your full and obligatory Responsibility before God for all your deeds, deeds, words and thoughts, for your whole life.
The Truth of God is our personal HONEST life according to the Laws of God, our Good deeds, compassion and help to others. When we live as God commanded us, then only then the Lord hears and accepts our prayers and fulfills them, begins to help us in everything. We begin to succeed in life, and we really achieve real success in our lives. God then helps us in all our affairs and keeps us, our neighbors, and our property from all evil.
Now listen to you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and we will live there for one year or several years, and we will trade there and make a profit." You who do not know what may happen to you tomorrow: for what is your life? Vapor that appears for a short time and then disappears. Instead of saying: If the Lord wills and we live, we will do this or that deed. / Apostle James. /
Many people do not understand at all why they do not succeed in certain things, their intentions and plans are upset, and all because they forget about God. Speaking aloud about their intentions and plans, they do not speak as the Apostle James commanded us: “If the Lord pleases and we live, we will do this or that deed”, They do not pray and do not ask God for help, and that He bless their deeds and plans. Therefore, demons, and they always hear everything, immediately begin to put a “spike in the wheel” for us, begin to hinder and destroy all our deeds and plans.
A person's life is guided and directed by SUNDAY - the Plan of God, and our prayer, brought with deep faith, IS always HEARD by God.
From God, the ways of man are corrected and directed, but a sinful man understands his ways. All gifts, talents, abilities, health, happiness, everything that we have are given to us by God.
Assuming to take some step, start some business or give consent or refusal to the proposal made, the Christian must ask his conscience, but if there are difficulties or doubts, then turn to God with a prayer - "Lord give me understanding, Lord guide me" remembering the words Savior Jesus Christ - "Without Me you can not create and do nothing" - and the first thought that came after the prayer - from God.
In everything we must act with reason. Everything that leads and DISTRACTS us from God, and leads to the fact that we FORGET about God and His Laws, and we START TO VIOLATE God's will - AGAINST God's Will and not pleasing to the Lord.
Everything that LEADS us to God, everything that TEACHES us - love, gratitude and gratitude to God, everything that teaches us an HONEST life, kindness and love for our neighbors - all this is ACCORDING to the Will of God. This Will of God is your sanctification, so that you abstain from fornication and evil deeds and desires.” And not only from carnal fornication, but also from any error, especially against the law.
Anyone who feels such a delusion in himself should think, understand well and say to himself: - this is the business that I want to start doing, this friendship with such and such a person, this is an acquisition or purchase, sale or something else, such actions and such way of life - WILL NOT MAKE me morally and spiritually BETTER, because - DISTRACTS me from God, VIOLATES God's Laws and can destroy me.
At the very least, neither this title, nor this profession, nor this work, nor this knowledge, nor this friendship, nor this way of life, nor this acquisition - IS God's Will and Blessing for me so that I have - THE RIGHT to have such a profession and work at this job, make friends and communicate with these people, acquire these things, and lead such a lifestyle for the benefit of your salvation.
Therefore, all this that VIOLATES — the Laws of God and Hinders my salvation and HARMS me — I must immediately LEAVE.
For example: you are offered a job - to engage in speculation and deceive people, to trade in vodka, cigarettes, drugs, pornographic newspapers, magazines, video cassettes, low-quality or damaged goods, food or stolen goods - but for that we, Orthodox people, must understand that we are Orthodox “It is NOT allowed to get people drunk and sell tobacco to them, it is impossible to introduce people to drugs, it is impossible to corrupt people - all these are very serious, mortal sins. Therefore, we must refuse such – Sinful work. It is IMPOSSIBLE to earn money on the misfortune of people - it is very dangerous.
It is also a grave sin to trade in spoiled or stolen goods or products, therefore, even if you were offered a large salary, you should not work in such a job. Or, for example, you have friends who constantly swear, swear, offer you to go buy wine and take a walk, or have fun in prodigal sin with slutty girls, or steal something, somewhere, or do evil to someone or a dirty trick - we SHOULD NOT be friends with such friends, we are obliged to leave them and forget them, and never again not only communicate with them, but even talk. You are offered to go play in a casino, in a gambling hall or play cards for money - of course, you know that God Forbids all this - so you must refuse and not go anywhere.
You are offered to watch a pornographic and or erotic film, or watch pornographic magazines or newspapers - but you know that everything depraved and vulgar to God is DISPUTED and DISPUTABLE, and therefore we - SHOULD NOT watch such depraved films, newspapers and magazines, and we owe others people - PROTECT from it.
You are offered to sign a FALSE accusatory letter or give FALSE testimonies against an INNOCENT person - this is a SEVERE, mortal sin, therefore it is IMPOSSIBLE to do this and also very DANGEROUS - then you yourself will get into even more TROUBLE because of this. God will severely punish such a Crime.
If this is a GOOD deed and Good people, then it is pleasing to God, then we do Good deeds and we communicate and make friends with good people.
If these are EVIL deeds and bad people, then this is not pleasing to God, because we do not do bad deeds, and also - DO NOT COMMUNICATE with bad people.
The Providence of God is CARE coming from God. Everything that happens according to the Providence of God always happens and is arranged in the best possible way, because the Good God, like a kind, loving and caring mother, CANNOT Cause Evil to her creation, Cannot DO anything to HARM a person. Therefore, when someone knows and believes that God takes care of him, then such a person is always calm, and never gets upset about anything. (Elder Paisios.)
It is necessary to trust in everything — Divine Providence, only then — we WILL GET RID OF DEPRESSION, despondency and all evil. For when someone knows and believes that God takes care of him, then he DOES NOT WORRY and does not get upset about anything.
However, in order to entrust yourself to the Divine Providence, you need to cleanse yourself from all worldly care and then expect God's help. For if someone cares to SAVE and RESERVE money for a "Black Day", so as not to have a lack of anything - then this person is ESTABLISHED only on money, and not in God. That is, such a person HOPES only for himself, for his money and strength, but does not believe in God, DOES NOT TRUST God and does not rely on Him. And then the Lord leaves such a LITTLE unreliable person. Woe to such a person if he does not repent and reform.
So, - you must first STOP loving money and not HOPE more in them, and then ESTABLISH yourself in the hope of God. I do not say not to use money, but not to establish my hope in them and not to give them my heart.
Laws are given by God - and who KNOWS and FOLLOWS them? Imagine, they hired a person, and today he was late for work, tomorrow he just skipped, the day after tomorrow he made a marriage, he does not fulfill his duties. What his boss will tell him, he will tell him the following: either you start working as you should, or quit, that's the boss's answer.
And how we baptized, “believers” act: we rarely go to church, we don’t keep fasts, we don’t pray either in the morning or in the evening, we don’t confess, we don’t take communion, we don’t know the Law of God, we don’t read the Bible - we DO NOT KNOW anything about our Orthodox Faith - that's why either God doesn't help us at all, or we receive such insignificant help from God that we don't even notice it.
