2 Timothy 2:22 -
Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
God's Will
In Jeremiah 42 (NASV), the people of Judah asked the prophet Jeremiah to pray for them, asking God’s will for their lives. Jeremiah agreed to tell them the “whole message which the Lord will answer you…” Then they replied to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us, if we do not act in accordance with the whole message which the Lord your God will send you to us. Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, in order that it may go well with us…”
(vs. 5-6). They had already made plans to leave Judah and flee from the Babylonians down to Egypt. All they really wanted was for God to “rubber stamp” their plans. God’s answer was simple, stay put and be blessed, or flee to Egypt and be cursed. In
chapter 43, the people accused Jeremiah of lying, and they proceeded with their plans to Egypt. Consequences for their direct disobedience would be “grave.” How do you seek God’s will?
God’s word outlines His will. His eternal purpose is for His elect saints to be “to the praise of the glory of His grace…”
(Eph. 1:6). Furthermore, those who love God demonstrate it by keeping His commandments
(1 John 2:3-6). Making Godly decisions requires attention to the Scriptures and petition to God in prayer with thanksgiving. Christ taught us to pray “Thy will be done on earth as it it is in heaven…”
(Matt. 6:10). John records in 1 John 5:14 “…if we ask anything according to His will He hears us.” The Psalmist recorded “I delight to do Thy will, O my God, Thy law is within my heart”
(Ps. 40:8). Abraham understood God’s sovereign will in
Genesis 12. God called him to a new land and promised blessing on him and all those who would be his spiritual seed by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
(Gal 3). When Paul wrote his second letter to Timothy he explains, “God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to His own purpose and grace, which was granted us in Christ Jesus for all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus who abolished death and brought life and immorality to light through the gospel”
(2 Tim. 1:9-10).
God’s purpose is His will. In
Isaiah 46:10, He declares “…My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.” Here are two different Hebrew words for God’s will. His purpose is His design, and His pleasure is His desire. His purpose is eternal but His pleasure allows for obedience. God does not desire disobedience from His servants although He permits latitude in our attitude. He prefers an attitude of gratitude, unlike that of
Jeremiah 43. While God is working all things for good for His elect
(Ro. 8:28), His desire is that we “be not conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of you God is that which is good and acceptable and perfect
(Ro. 12:2). “…God is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure”
(Phil. 2:13). God does not tell us what toothpaste to use or even what shoes to buy, but He gives us wisdom from His word for discernment. He alone provides “…everything pertaining to life and godliness”
(2 Peter 1:3). His word as taught by the Holy Spirit fills us “…with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding”
(Col 1:9). We must be diligent to study His word and imitate Him as his beloved children.
Jesus Christ is the supreme example of what it means to do God’s will. He was both willing and obedient unto death, “even death on a cross.” As the only God-man, he was able to “taste death” for us becoming our sacrifice for sin. In the garden before His betrayal and arrest He prayed “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will [not what I desire], but as You will and desire”
(Matt. 26:39, Ampl. Bible). He prayed this prayer three times. John MacArthur writes, “This implies no conflict between the Persons of the Godhead. Rather, it graphically reveals how Christ in His humanity voluntarily surrendered His will to the will of the Father in all things- precisely so there would be no conflict between the divine will and His desires” (J. MacArthur’s Study Bible, p 1445). In
John 5:30 (NKJV), we read, “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me.” This is further proof of Jesus’ equality with God. Phillip asked, “Lord, show us the Father and it is sufficient for us. Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long and yet you have not known Me Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say show us the Father?’ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me?… Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves”
(John 14:8-9). Jesus Christ was God incarnate. God’s will was His will. Christ is in us, “the Hope of glory”
(Col. 1:27), and His will should be our will. He desires that we “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus”
(Phil. 3:14, NASV), and that we pass his “Glory Test” everyday. Our SAT (Speech, Actions, Thoughts), must meet His criteria for glory in obedience to His will. (See
Ps. 19:14 & Col
3:17).
Let us resolve to seek God’s will from His word for this is the way to live godly lives (Will, Word, Way, www.live).
Thomas P. Taylor
March 24, 2001
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Praise the lord with all your heart,
Pray to Him before you start.
Read His Word and you will know
How to laud Him, let it show.
Careful how you speak and sing,
He is worthy, the best refrain.
Sacrifice of lips and life,
Cleanse yourself and put away strife.
Jesus came in lowly birth
For salvation on the earth.
Poured out His life, the cross-made clear,
God was pleased to crush Him there.
Victory over sin foretold,
The tomb and grave could never hold.
Christ is Lord and Savior too,
Hail our God and King for you.
Splendor, honor, and majesty
Belong to Him in royalty.
Love and mercy from Him come,
Peace and hope and joy for some.
Loving kindness, compassion are new,
Every morning His faithfulness too.
Grow, bear fruit, prosper like a tree,
Share with others, prosperity.
Heaven and nature bless His name,
Saints on earth, do the same.
By His Spirit give thanks to Him,
Worship for life, our holy hymn.
Thomas P. Taylor 12/12/01
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