Day 18: Understanding the Will of God

Doing the will of God is the ultimate objective for living. If you make this your one and only goal, you will never have to wonder about the meaning of your life. Paul says in Romans 12, verse 2:

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” (NIV)

Once you’ve made that decisive step of handing your body over to God as a living sacrifice, something happens in your mind. It releases something in your mind – you’re renewed. You no longer think the way the world thinks. People of the world are always self-centred in their thinking: "If I do this, how will it affect me?" "If I say this, will I get a raise, will I be promoted, will people like me?" It’s all centring around me. But the renewed mind doesn’t centre around me – the renewed mind centres around God. Will this glorify God? Is this God’s purpose in my life? With the mind thus renewed, Paul says, "Then you can find out the will of God." You see, God will not give that revelation until you’ve made the commitment. But the commitment leads to the renewing of your mind, and with the renewing of your mind, then you can discern the will of God.

You can find out the path that God has for you in life. And I want to suggest to you, in most cases it will be very different from what you think it might be. The devil will be right there at your elbow telling you it’s going to be miserable; it’s going to be hard; you’re going to spend the rest of your life washing dishes or living somewhere in a desert – that may be so, but most probably it won’t be so. But you won’t know until you make the commitment.

The outworking of this surrender of your body to God in your life, to do the will of God, will be the same – in essence – as it was in the life of Jesus. There were five results in the life of Jesus that we looked at. I want to just recapitulate them and point out to you that you can anticipate the same results in your life.

First of all, there was supernatural, physical restoration. Jesus was not limited to His own physical strength – nor will you be if you’re committed to the will of God.

Second, there was proper vision. Jesus saw things the way God sees things and so will you begin to see things when you are committed to the will of God.

Third, there was just judgment or clear discernment. Jesus was not fooled, He wasn’t deceived – He saw things in people the way they really were.

Fourth, Jesus became a channel of life to a dying world. And you and I can be likewise channels of life when we’re committed to doing God’s will.

And fifth, Jesus said (in His prayer in John 17), "I’ve glorified You on the earth. I’ve finished the work You gave Me to do." If we will commit ourselves to God and His will and to finish it with all our heart, we too will be able to glorify God on earth.