Seeking God’s Will

“Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.”  Ephesians 5:17

A person of wisdom will seek to know the will of God.  But how does one do that?  Of course, the first step to knowing God’s will is to do the very first thing that He wills for one’s life:  repent of sin and believe on Christ.  Without that, a person doesn’t really have a desire to know and do God’s will.  A Pharisee named Nicodemus came to Jesus at night to find out more about Him.  Some say that he came at night because he didn’t want to be seen in the company of Jesus since God’s Son was not a very popular Person among the self-righteous religious leaders to put it mildly.  Others say that the timing of Nicodemus’ visit had no real significance.  Usually, though, when a detail is included in a passage, there is some significance to it.  Jesus read Nicodemus’ heart and answered the question that Nicodemus had not asked:  you must be born again in order to see the kingdom of God.  Nicodemus did not understand.  Jesus explained that he must be born from above, a spiritual rebirth (John 3:1-21).  In John 6:25-40, the people who had been following Jesus as He traveled asked Him what “work” they could do that would please God.  Jesus told them “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent”.  Jesus also told them that it was His Father’s will to save all those whom He gave to Jesus; everyone who repented and believed on Christ would have everlasting life.

Beyond salvation, what is then God’s will for our lives?  Much of His will can be found in the pages of His word.  He shows us how He expects us to live as one of His children.  The most important thing in God’s will for us is to love Him with all of our heart, soul, and mind and love others as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40).  Besides love, we need to exhibit the other fruits of the Spirit, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  We need to deny ourselves and take up our crosses and follow Christ (Matthew 16:24).  We should pray without ceasing and be thankful (I Thessalonians 5:17-18).  This is certainly not everything that God requires to conform to His will, but it’s a good start.

But what about His specific will for an individual?  How does a person know and understand his or her special purpose in life?  As a believer matures in Christ through Bible study, prayer, and focusing on living his or her life in the light of Christ, he or she will be led by the Holy Spirit into those arenas of Christian service to which God has called each person.  Everyone has a place of service in the body of Christ.  Paul wrote in I Corinthians 12:18 that God “hath set the members every one of them in the body, as it has pleased Him.”  We tend to consider places of service, whether in the body of Christ or in the secular world by rank giving more honor and/or importance to some positions more than others.  But God doesn’t give more honor to a missionary on foreign soil than He does to a wheelchair bound older lady who spends time in prayer for that missionary and for other’s needs.  All positions in the body of Christ are vital to the growth of God’s kingdom.

Paul went on to say in I Corinthians 12:22-26 that those parts of Christ’s body, those who appear to be weaker and of lesser importance, are completely necessary to the overall work of the body.  They are even given special care.  Those who are stronger do not need as much care, thus all members are on an equal level with one another concerning their positions in the body of Christ.  The missionary can’t do his work without the prayers of the infirm nor without the money given by those who are not able to go but able to give.  Christianity is not a competition.  God knows each person, their strengths and weaknesses, and designs His will to fit in with their personality, knowledge, determination, and desire to live a meaningful and purposeful life for Jesus.  What they lack, He will provide.  He looks for those who are willing to follow His will.  That is one of the main things that is missing among the body of Christ, a real desire to deny oneself and seek God’s will.  Until the church as a whole get serious about the commitment required to do God’s will, we will continue on the slippery slope of selfishness.  I am sorry to turn so negative, but what I have observed particularly over the last couple of years has shown me how the church has lost a lot of influence over the world.  It is extremely vital for all believers to seek and do God’s will for the sake of God’s kingdom.  The battle is not going to get any easier, and we need all hands on deck!