God’s Perfect Will

You find out God’s will by doing God’s will. God’s will is for you to changed from the person who looks out for his or her own interest,  into the person that thinks of other more highly than themselves – He wants you to become like Jesus.

He’s not willing that any should perish, that is, it isn’t in God’s will for any to be away from him eternally. But we know his will isn’t done on earth as it is in heaven, so not everyone gets an automatic get-out-of-hell-free card. We’re told to pray for his will to be done, because that’s his will. It’s his will that his will gets done on earth as it is in heaven. In heaven his will gets done, because heaven is his manifest kingdom – at least part of his kingdom.

His kingdom exists wherever his rule is obeyed, which is another way to say ‘wherever his will is done, his kingdom is.’

So when you do his will, you‘re extending his kingdom. Both in your life and in the lives of others you positively effect for his kingdom.

You see we get stuck looking for God’s will for my life. “Why did you want me in New Zealand? What can I do here that I couldn’t do back home? What grand epiphany will you illuminate for me?” Me. I. Me.

Paul says to offer your body as a living sacrifice, that is – die to your own desires. This pleases God. It makes you more like Jesus who did nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. When you die to yourself, then you’ll be able to test and approve what his good, pleasing, and perfect will is.

Others have said it more eloquently. Wiser ones have said it more profoundly. Joyce Meyers says it more bluntly.  Still we don’t hear because we don’t apply it to our lives. We make our plans and ask God to bless us. We sin and are shocked if there are consequences. We play church and make a religion out of a relationship.

If we would only live up to what we have already attained… we can because of the blood of Christ and the grace it brings. God’s will is for you to be like Jesus. He’ll tell you the details you need to know when you’re focused on the proper goal – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

–Trevor Lund