recollection tools

1. KNOWING
YEAR END RECOLLECTION
CALITUBAN HIGH SCHOOL
TALIBON BOHOL 2023..

3. As Christians we are people who know and believe in
God. Thus, we live our lives according to this faith.
Furthermore if we know well our faith, we should realize
that a Christian is not just one who goes to church daily
and through the different rituals. There is the need of
personally accepting consciously and voluntarily Christ
Jesus as the Lord and Master of his life.

4. In this talk we shall point out the different reasons why we
need to know God’s will. These are the following:
1. OUR SALVATION CONSISTS IN DOING
GOD’S WILL
Jesus said in Matthew 7:21:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will
of my Father in heaven.”

5.  What is the Lord saying? Going to heaven is not a matter of
doing something we think is good like praying, “Lord, Lord” or
just reading the Bible. In the letter of James the apostle it says:
“Faith without work is dead.” The work we do is the expression of
our faith. If for example, you are a teacher or a student now, the
will of God for you is to be in the classroom. Your going to
church attending mass or praying before the Blessed Sacrament
or reading of the Bible at this moment is not good for you. It is
not pleasing to God, not leading you to your eternal salvation.

6. What is the Father’s will regarding our salvation?
John 6:40 says:
“For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who
sees the Son and believe in him may have eternal
life, and I shall raise him on the last day.”

7. in Matthew 12:50 Jesus says:
“For whoever does the will of my
heavenly Father is my brother, and
sister, and mother.”

8. God’s general purpose for each one of us is union
with Him here in this world and thereafter in
heaven. To remain in this union we have to follow
God’s will at every given moment of our lives. That
is why we should strive to know correctly His will.
St. Paul says in Ephesians 5:10:
“Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.”

9. How much effort and time do we spend to know
the will of God? To emphasize the importance of
knowing clearly the will of God, St. Paul says in the
same epistle to the Ephesians 5:17:
“Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to
understand what is the will of the Lord.”

10. And in his letter to the Colossians 1:9 St. Paul says:
“Therefore, from the day we hear this, we do not
cease praying for you and asking that you may be
filled with the knowledge of his will through all
spiritual wisdom and understanding.”

11.  These word of God point out to us the seriousness of our responsibility to
know God’s will not just a little bit but clearly – “full knowledge of his
will.” Life on earth is a journey to heaven. To get to our destination it is of
utmost importance that we follow the right path. We cannot afford to take
just a probable road because the consequences are eternal. Either eternity
in heaven or eternity in hell. Gamble with other things, yes, but never with
your eternity. That’s why the word of scriptures are very strong:
 Unless you follow the way (WILL) the Lord wants you to take, salvation is
impossible.

12. 2. COLOSSIANS 1:9-11 SAYS: OUR KNOWLEDGE OF
GOD’S WILL EMPOWERS US TO DO SO MANY
THINGS, LIKE:

13. a) To “LEAD A LIFE WORTHY OF THE LORD AND
PLEASING TO HIM IN EVERYWAY.” (Verse 10a)
 The simple reason is because knowing what a person wants,
means knowing what to do in order to please him. One of the
causes why some youths of today cannot please each other is
because neither one nor the other knows or strives to know what
the other party wants. No wonder, everything they do is
displeasing to each other.

14. b)To “MULTIPLY GOOD WORKS OF EVERY
SORT.” (Verse 10b)
When you do the things that God wants, surely you will
have everything necessary to accomplish the work. You
are operating within the budget of God’s grace. And God
will never run short of His budget. Furthermore, there is
no corruption or cheating in God’s projects. As long as
you are within God’s payroll, you will definitely
accomplish many things.

15. John 9:31:
“We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if
one is devout and does his will, he listens to him.”
Take note of the words, “OBEYS HIS WILL”. God
“LISTENS” to people who are obedient to “HIS
WILL”.

16. c) To “GROW IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF
GOD.”
The will of a person is somehow the person
himself. So that, the more you know, for
example, about what I want the more you
know me. So also with God, our knowledge of
God’s will is our knowledge of God Himself.

17. d) To “STAND FAST WITH HIS STRENGTH, EVEN TO
ENDURE JOYFULLY WHATEVER MAY COME.”
1 John 2:17
“… But whoever does the will of God
remains forever.”

18. 3. OUR KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S WILL GIVES
MEANING AND FULLFILMENT TO OUR WORK.

19. Matthew 11: 28-29 :
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest. TAKE MY YOKE upon you
and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of
heart; and you will FIND REST for yourselves.”

20. Activity: Small group discussion:
1. How much effort do I exert to know God’s
will for me in my life?
2. What is the real situation of my life as far as
God’s will is concerned?
3. What specific concrete action should I take
beginning today to know his will?