WILL OF GOD

How often have you heard of someone waiting for God's will to be revealed to them? Some "miraculous" revelation that will establish the pattern by which their life is to be molded. Passively they wait for the knowledge to be delivered, perhaps through some "divine intervention" which will transform their life much like Moses and the burning bush or Paul on the road to Damascus. Scripture tells us that if we seek we shall find (Deuteronomy 4:29; 2 Chronicles 15:2; Luke 11:9-10) so let's acquire the knowledge of God's will for us.

The first stop for those involved in alcohol and substance abuse issues should be Ephesians 5:17-18. The will of God is quite plainly stated, "DO NOT GET DRUNK!" Not much room for misunderstanding there. The obvious being said, let's look at examples of other applications of God's will for us.

It is the will of God that you:

Abstain from sexual immorality (1 Thessalonians 4:3);
Know how to control your body (1 Thessalonians 4:4)
Do not defraud your fellow Christian (1 Thessalonians 4:6);
Admonish the unruly (1 Thessalonians 5:14);
Encourage the fainthearted (1 Thessalonians 5:11, 14);
Live in peace with one another (1 Thessalonians 5:13)
Help the weak (1 Thessalonians 5:14);
Be patient with all men (1 Thessalonians 5:14);
Do not repay evil with evil (1 Thessalonians 5:15);
Seek after that which is good for each other (1 Thessalonians 5:15);
Rejoice always (1 Thessalonians 5:16);
Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17);
Give thanks for everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18);
Work for your employer as you would work for Christ (Ephesians 6:5-8);
Submit yourself to human government (1 Peter 2:13-15); and
Live in the spirit, not in lusts of the flesh (1 Peter 4:1-6)

Further study of God's Word will reveal other specifically identified examples of God's will for us. We only have to look.

From a different perspective, scripture tells us that God's desire is that none should perish, but all come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Does this mean we are now "home free" to do whatever we want because He has "willed" that we be saved? Hardly! Rather, it is God's will that we repent so that we may be saved. God will requires action on our part.

However, thoughts about "God's will" do not always focus on the obvious and there is a component of the concept of God's will that is directly linked to the concept of faith (see Hebrews 11:1-3, 12:1-17). When suffering or adversity is experienced quite often an individual questions "God's will" as it applies to the instant discomfort. For instance, 1 Peter 3:17 tells us that it is better to suffer for doing what is right if God should will it so and later in 4:18-19 we are instructed to entrust our souls to a faithful Creator if we suffer according to the will of God. The question usually devolves to "why?" especially since we know that God hears us if we ask anything according to his will (1 John 5:14) as we seek understanding of our trials. Just as one man cannot answer for the faith of another and no one can answer for God, these issues distill to the essence of the vertical component of our faith. As a cautionary note, satan is always looking for an opportunity (1 Peter 5:8) to distract us from the simplicity of Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 11:3).

That being said, please consider the following. God desires that we do good rather than evil. Mankind became able to discern between good and evil when Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the garden. Consequently, mankind is born with the nascent knowledge of right and wrong with accountability for one's actions concurrent with that knowledge coming to maturity. Therefore, the person struggling with the sin of drunkenness already knows God's will and possesses the requisite tools to implement that will. Passive submission will not achieve the necessary spiritual growth, but rather a working faith (James 1:21-27, 2:14-26; 2 Peter 1:2-11) is required. As a practical suggestion, try applying the listed specific expressions of God's will to your life and see if you achieve greater clarity in understanding the part that God's will may or may not have in your current distress. It may well be that the "cure" for your "ills" was right before you the whole time.

Similarly, from time to time we may struggle with attempting to determine the specifics of God's will as it applies to our secular activities (job, etc.). Perhaps a good place to start in developing a sense of perspective would be 1 Timothy 2:2-4, "... lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; Who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." I suspect that as one studies "to come unto the knowledge of the truth" they will develop a clearer understanding of the practical application of God's will in their life.

In closing, for an "eye opening" glimpse into the practical application of God's will in one person's life read the story of the Rich Young Ruler as contained in Matthew 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22 and Luke 18:18-23. There is no guarantee that one will initially relish doing what God's will indicates as needing to be done.

And finally, nurture the love of God in your heart remembering the assurances we have such as "the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His" (2 Chronicles 16:9) and that "God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God" (Romans 8:28). The key is to follow the first Great Commandment, "LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH." (Mark 12:30).

To summarize, "what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD'S commandments and His statutes ... for your good" (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).

WILL OF GOD

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