Doing God’s Will

 

“The world and its desires pass away, but the one who does the will of God lives forever.”

—1 John 2:17

As a young teenager involved in the ministry of Youth for Christ, the number one question that always came up in discussion sessions regarding our Christian faith was: “How can I know the will of God?” That was a legitimate question and one that seemingly troubled many teens.

We understood that the God who loved us expected us to obediently follow His will for our lives. But, we weren’t at all certain how we were to know the will of God. Our leaders secretly wondered this same question themselves.

If I were able to go back more than 50 years and talk to my young teenaged self, I would offer these suggestions as answers to this puzzling question:

1. Make certain that you spend time reading, studying, and meditating on God’s written Word, the Bible.
   
   And, in that regard, become as familiar as you can with the actual words of the text. Study the Old Testament for the context it gives on how God relates to His chosen people, Israel. Learn from these ancient texts the foundational truths about who God is and what He expects of those He has chosen to belong to Himself.
   
   Concurrently, study the New Testament to see the God-with-us Jesus. Study how He relates to His Father. Examine carefully how He relates to His friends, enemies, and every other person with whom He comes into contact. Pay very careful attention to the words of Jesus, for He is, after all, God the Son.
   
   Read carefully the instruction given by the Apostle Paul and the other New Testament writers. Learn how they put their faith into practice and take note of the besetting sins about which they warned their fellow believers.
   
   
2. Before and after you spend time studying God’s written Word, pray. As you begin, ask God to illuminate the truth of His Word. And, as you finish, ask Him to seal His truth in your heart and mind.

If you have taken the time to invest in these two rather simple steps, in every situation you encounter in this life, you will know more surely what God wants you to do. By making God’s written Word a deeply woven part of the fabric of your life, and by bathing your study of God’s Word in prayer, you will have such a strong sense of the way God normally leads those He chooses to follow Him that you will make the right choice in your own life.

Why is it important that we follow God’s will for our lives? The Apostle John put it this way in 1 John 2:17:

The world and its desires pass away, but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

As we begin another new day, let’s make this a day of seeking to know God more through His written Word and following God more completely by allowing His truth to fill our hearts and minds.

As Richard of Chichester wrote:

Day by day, day by day,
O, dear Lord, three things I pray:
to see Thee more clearly,
love Thee more dearly,
follow Thee more nearly,
day by day.

 

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