Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:17)
True Christians desire to do the will of God. The verse above tells us that understanding God’s will makes us wise. However, what is the will of God for the Christian? How are we to know what God wants us to do?
The Bible gives us several things we should do every day simply because God wants us to do them. Last week, we discussed several of those things, and we will continue this week with more of what the Bible tells us is God’s will for every Christian. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it certainly gives us much for which to strive:
Be Pure
For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour; (1 Thessalonians 4:3-4)
But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; (Ephesians 5:3)
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
It is God’s will for a Christian to keep himself pure in spirit, soul, and body. We should not look at, think about, or participate in anything that would defile any part of ourselves.
Be Givers
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. (Malachi 3:10)
Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. (Proverbs 3:9-10)
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)
The sooner we truly grasp the fact and admit to ourselves that all that we have belongs to God in the first place, the sooner we will be more giving people. We have no right to miserly hold onto anything in our lives. As Christians, we ought to willingly give of our money, time, and talents to the Lord because He lent them to us in the first place; we are simply stewards of these things. Are we being good ones?
Be Good Citizens
Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme; Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: (1 Peter 2:13-15)
Notice that the verses above do not say, “only if those leaders are good, godly people” or “as long as you like them and approve of what they do.” As Christians, it is God’s will for our lives to submit ourselves to our government leaders regardless of their political stance or agenda. We do not have to agree with them, but we do have to accept the fact that God put them in office. If we don’t like what they are doing, then we should pray for them all the more.
Be Holy
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. (1 Peter 1:15-16)
For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. (1 Thessalonians 4:7)
Just because we cannot measure up to God’s standard of holiness doesn’t mean that we are to live our lives without trying. Every day we must be striving to be more and more like our great and holy God. We must conform to God’s standards, not try to make God conform to ours.
One common excuse we love to use is “Well, God understands.” Yes, God understands that we are sinners and that we will fail. “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. (Psalm 103: 14)” However, God does not understand nor excuse sin. He will not “let us off the hook” simply because we’re sinners. We are commanded to be holy regardless of our sin natures.
Be Prayerful
Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; (Ephesians 6:18)
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6)
Many hymnals contain a song entitled “Did You Think to Pray?” The song mentions several circumstances that could come about in a given day and simply asks if we thought to pray during those times. How often we go about our days and deal with our problems without even once thinking about praying, let alone actually praying! Christians must be prayerful people! It is impossible to have a relationship with someone if you never speak to him. We cannot have the relationship with Christ that we should if we never commune with Him in prayer.
Be Doers
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. (James 1:22, 25)
Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. (Matthew 7:24-25)
But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it. (Luke 11:28)
We purposely saved this one for last. Jesus Himself said, “I must be about my Father’s business.” God calls people who are busy working for Him. All throughout the Bible, we see God moving and working in the lives of people who were already busy doing what they were supposed to do.
Are you sitting around wondering why God hasn’t answered your prayer about His will for you? Get busy serving God today, and you’ll be surprised where He leads you tomorrow. God reveals the next step of His will only to those who are already doing the previous steps.
So, let’s be wise and get busy.
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