For
God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of His
Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in
the will of God to come to you. (Romans 01:09-10, NKJV).
The
popular worldly view of God is that He is a cosmic killjoy,
delighting in prohibiting us from doing what we want, and compelling
us to do what we don't want. This is an ignorant and lazy view, one
based on hearsay (repeated gossip), and misinformation.
The
truth is that God's will for our lives is one of peace and safety,
pleasure and joy, and most importantly, for us to be conformed
(molded into) the image of His magnificent Son. While sometimes that
does mean he prevents us from doing what we want, it is never to
deprive us of something good, but to prepare us for something better.
Repeatedly
in the New Testament, Jesus talks about us being equal participants
of His joy. In the Gospel of John especially, He emphasizes that His
coming, His life, and even His death on the Cross, were intended to
make our joy full.
In
the Old Testament, particularly in the Book of Psalms, God reveals
that His delight is to give us, His Children, the desires of our
hearts. When this doesn't seem to be happening, it is because He
knows more than we ever could, what is best for each one of us.
This
is really no different than a loving earthly parent denying a request
from his or her beloved child, not because the denial is some
ruthless exercise of parental authority, but because granting the
request would do harm, either now or in the future.
Throughout
Paul's letters, he constantly acknowledges that wherever he is, does,
or says, is in, according to, or by, the will of God.
Consider each of the
following verses, written by Paul, the writer of Hebrews, Peter, and
John.
And
do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing
of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and
perfect will of God.
...not
with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ,
doing the will of God from the heart,
For
this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should
abstain from sexual immorality;
...in
everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus for you.
For
you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will
of God, you may receive the promise:
For
this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to
silence the ignorance of foolish men--
For
it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing
good than for doing evil.
...that
he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the
lusts of men, but for the will of God.
Therefore
let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their
souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
And
the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the
will of God abides forever.
(Romans
12:2; Ephesians 6:6; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; 5:18; Hebrews 10:36; 1
Peter 2:15; 3:17; 4:2, 19; 1 John 2:17, NKJV).
From
these we can obtain a deeper picture of some of the aspects of God's
will for us.
For
instance, it is impossible to even know the will of God for our lives
if our primary concern is fitting in (being conformed) to the world,
and the things the world considers important. Instead, by steeping
our minds in God's word, and thus renewing our thoughts and attitudes
with the truth, we prove (confirm) what is that perfect
will of God. Note that word, perfect. It means God's will is
complete, lacking nothing, and the greatest good imaginable.
We
can also know how we are to comply with His will – from the
heart, meaning not out of obligation or fear, but out of love and
sincerity.
It
is His will that we are to be sanctified, meaning “set apart
for His service”. Part of that means abstaining from (not taking
part in) sexual immorality, not to deny us pleasure, but to ensure
our pleasure. This entails really only three things: no sexual
activity before marriage (fornication), none outside of marriage
(adultery), and only with one life partner of the opposite sex.
Lately,
the world has declared war on these simple restrictions, but the
world is full of stupidity, evil and selfishness. It is God's word
that counts.
We
already covered in the previous study that being thankful is God's
will for us, as well. Not because He needs it, but because we do.
Thankfulness is, in fact, the best remedy for depression, bitterness,
anger, and envy. It is an automatic acknowledgment of our dependence
on Him for everything.
You
can also see that the will of God is active, not passive. It is not
just something you think or feel, but it also entails the “doing of
His will”. Don't be fooled. Paying lip service to obedience is NOT
obedience. Expressing merely the desire to obey, is NOT obeying. Word
and deed must match. It is easy to say you care about God's will, but
the proof is in how you behave and decide to take action.
Now
by doing good, which is the natural outworking of actively performing
God's will, we put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.
In other words, their bad-mouthing God and the things of God
(including us) are stopped as with a cork, which cannot help but be a
satisfying thought.
Know
this too, Jesus promises that in this world we will have tribulation,
but know that because we are His children, even that suffering serves
His purposes in transforming us into the image of God's Son, and is
therefore in His will. We can see that is is far better to suffer in
, and for, the will of God than for our own evil.
Furthermore,
when we are not serving the will of God, there is only one other
state of being: serving the lusts (wants and desires) of our flesh.
Though having the potential of being deceptively satisfying at first,
prolonged selfishness is a guaranteed recipe for despair and
loneliness. There is no more tragic a figure than a human being whose
self-centered hardness of heart has made him or her unreachable in
regard to normal human relationship. He or she is like an animated
stone, with no interior, only granite-like superficiality (surface).
Of
course, since we will suffer in this life, and since suffering in His
will is far better than suffering for actions or circumstances
outside His will, when we do suffer, we have the privilege of
committing ourselves fully to Him, knowing that He is faithful to see
us through, even unto death. He created us for Himself, and will, in
the end, bring each of us who believe in Jesus to Him as a faithful
Creator.
Finally,
the Apostle John tells us that being saved in Christ is also God's
will for us, and the only means to obtain eternal ife, as opposed to
our default destiny of eternal punishment.
So
you see, the will of God is not onerous (distasteful and tedious),
but exciting, life-giving, satisfying, and the best possible strategy
for joy and fulfillment. Without it, left to our own sorry devices,
we would have no hope at all, and live lives culminating in emptiness
and misery.
Love,
Dad
