QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED: Doing The Will Of God
Obeying God’s Will
by johnromeoetis
obey-god-forked-path
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
ROMANS 12:1-2
Catch: Discovering of God’s Will is through Absolute Obedience to God’s Word.
Today we will be ending our blog series about knowing God’s Will. Have you ever wondered what the Will of God is for your life? Have you needed to make a crucial choice and speculate what God wanted you to do in every situation of your life? All of us face this kind of struggle with questions about our future. Questions such as, “How can I know God’s plan for my life? Is this the person God wants me to marry? Which job should I take? Is this a good asset to make? Should I evangelize to my boss? These are the questions that could have probably added to the list. The tremendous exploration I have ever made regarding on how to know the Will of God implicates the following:
Absolute surrender to the Lordship and Deity of Jesus Christ.
Living a life of reverence and obedience in the power of the Holy Spirit
Maintaining the Love towards God.
But all we need to do is to draw near to Christ, cultivate our love for Him, and walk by faith through the empowerment of the Grace of God and the Holy Spirit, and stay within the Will of God. As John Wimber says that, obedience deepens our intimacy with Jesus. If we want to know the Father, we must not only love Him, but also obey Him. Scripture is clear that it is important to know the Father through His Word, and if we want to be a part of what the Father is doing and to be able to see where He is moving then it is clear that we must obey His commands. It is important to be biblically literate, but we must also be biblically obedient. The true follower of Christ always says “No matter what the cost, I will still obey God and I know He will help me and guide me.” We do not serve God to earn His acceptance, but rather, we are accepted to serve Him and worship Him freely, and enjoy in His presence wherever we are right now. In this blog, we will talk about three (3) ways of walking and obeying God’s Will.
1) RECOGNIZE
Through the mercy and grace of God in Christ Jesus, we can discover easily the Will of God in our lives. Since we have been rescued by God from our sins through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, we are to remember God’s mercy. Every situation we will be facing, we do not need to beg God for mercy, all we need to do is to declare God’s mercy over our situation. The best way to recognize and appreciate God’s mercy is to examine it in action. But there is more that can be talk about God’s mercy. We might speculate to what sinners God is merciful. He is not merciful to all sinners because some perish and spend eternity in hell. God is merciful to some and not to others. To whom is He merciful? Who decides?
Romans 9:18 says that “Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.” It sounds very much as if God decides within Himself and pleases Himself on the matter. It also sounds very much like what He told Moses way back in Exodus 33:19, “And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy.”
Additional thing about God’s mercy is that it is perpetual. Psalm 103:17 encourages us that “But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children’s children.” Those who earn God’s mercy in this world will have it eternally. God’s mercy is not only wide and deep, it is long lasting also. What a marvelous blessing it is! Indeed, let God be praised for His great mercy.
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God… ROMANS 12:1a
8 TheLord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. PSALM 103:8
36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. LUKE 6:36
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us. EPHESIANS 2:4
14 And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of theLord; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man. 2 SAMUEL 24:14
Moving forward is the result of recognizing God’s mercy.
2) RESPOND
Since we have already earned God’s mercy in our lives, we need to respond in worship as a way of living, being set apart, from others, morally pure, blameless, and perfect. As we apply the mercy of God in our daily living, we need to be holy as God is holy. The call to holiness is given to every believer. Living in this world has captured us used to its ways, more of which are contrary to God’s Will. We must turn away from the pattern of this world we are to obey God’s Will; it is an act of response to worship God. God’s grace is adequate to change us as we know the truth, turn away from sin, and turn to God.
Responding in worship is honoring God in everything we do. Living a life that honors and glorifies Him is the appropriate response to all that God has done for us. We must honor God wholeheartedly, having a right relationship with God through Christ Jesus, and obedience to His Word. Since we have been rescued from our sins, we are called to honor God and make Him known in every aspect of our lives.
1.. that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world.. ROMANS 12:1b-2a
16 That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. ROMANS 15:16
16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased. HEBREWS 13:16
18 But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God. PHILIPPIANS 4:18
Excellence is the result of responding in worship.
3) REVIVE
As part of obedience to God’s Will, renewing our mind is the essential part because our mind was filled with worldly things which are contradicting to God’s standard. Renewing our mindset can be easy for us as we continue to draw near to God and asking His enabling grace to renounce the pattern of this world, and start to fill our mind with the things that God wants for us.
As believers, we are no longer conformed to this world because we no longer belong to the spirit of this age. We have been translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son. Therefore, rather than continuing to conform to this world, we are to be transformed by having our minds renewed. The gospel is a call for the unbeliever to repent of his sin and embrace Christ by faith. Our mindset must be changed and transformed from old, ungodly ways of thinking into new, godly ways of thinking. What we know in our minds to be true forms a conviction in our hearts of that truth, and that conviction in our hearts translates into action. Therefore, we must first renew our minds.
2 but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. ROMANS 12:2b
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things arelovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. PHILIPPIANS 4:8
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 2 CORINTHIANS 4:16
11 Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. PSALM 119:11
Absolute wise is the result of renewed minds and filled with God’s Word.
The Grace of God compels us to obey His Will.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)
