Doing the Will of God

Doing the Will of God

doing the will of God
Are you interested in doing the will of God? If you are reading this I assume that’s the case. With the words of Elizabeth Elliot “The will of God is not something you add to your life. It’s a course you choose. You either line yourself up with the Son of God…or you capitulate to the principle which governs the rest of the world.” Hence doing the will of God is following Christ.

Mary DeMuth helps us to understand better what doing the will of God means as she walks us through the Lord’s prayer in fresh and new way in her new book  The Wall Around Your Heart.

Mary writes “When Jesus prayed, “May your will be done on earth,” we have to remember that He is the ultimate fulfillment of this prayer. The words He uttered heavenward were already obeyed words, already exemplified in His life. Jesus came to do His Father’s will: “Jesus explained: ‘My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work’” (John 4:34 NLT).

If we want to become holy, we need to become like Jesus. Hence doing God’s will should be also our top priority. And not least because doing the will of God is what keeps us going; it’s our nourishment. Doing the will of God is also our ultimate happiness. We tend to forget this and try almost anything and everything else in place of it. But only doing the will of God can make us happy. Because that is when we find our purpose and calling. Anything else is just another version of passing time. And life is too precious for that, don’t you think?

Mary continues “Jesus reexplained His mission in the middle of His ministry, keeping things clear for us: “I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will” (John 6:38 NLT). In heaven, everything goes according to God’s plan. Jesus submitted Himself to the Father, and the Holy Spirit interacted freely with both in a mysterious triune dance. When Jesus left heaven, He continued His track of obedience to show us what that would look like, to give us a winsome desire to do things utterly outside the box, to help us see that our religiosity gets us nowhere in terms of holiness.”

Jesus’ mission was to do the will of God. It should be our mission too. But it is a bit different for each and every one of us. That’s why it’s tricky. But the main thing is to follow Jesus. To speak to God as he did. To love others as he did. To bring glory to God with everything we do. Just as Jesus did. How do we do it? Step by step. Prayer by prayer. Just as Jesus did.

 

Gracious God,
I want to do your will.
Just as Jesus did.
Show me how.
Guide me step by step.
Open my ears to listen to your voice.
Open my heart to follow you
all of my days.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: How do you know what is God’s will? Share your best tips!

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you do the will of God as Jesus did!

Photo courtesy of Andreas Laudy, design by Mari-Anna Stålnacke.  Linking up today with Sharing His Beauty, Hear it on Sunday, use it on Monday, Playdates with God, and counting blessings with Ann Voskamp:  #1052 Following Jesus teaches us to the will of God.

I am part of Mary DeMuth’s launch team for her new bookand I have to say that this book absolutely rocks. It’s not only well  written but it is full of uplifting stories that just I can’t capture here on the blog. But make sure to visit the other blogs that are linked up here. They are also blogging through the book. Maybe together we can give a more vivid and accurate picture of the book. And the launch date is coming up too! Hence even more fun in the horizon!

Flowing Faith

6 thoughts on “Doing the Will of God

  1. I sure have been enjoying your summaries of Mary’s book each week. Such good stuff. This speaks to me today:

    “Mary writes “When Jesus prayed, “May your will be done on earth,” we have to remember that He is the ultimate fulfillment of this prayer.”

    And your words:
    “But only doing the will of God can make us happy. Because that is when we find our purpose and calling.”

    That is so true. We don’t need to chase all the crazy things that the world promises will make us happy. It’s found in doing the will of God. Thanks, Mari-Anna, for always bringing clarity and focus.

  2. Too often we fallen people are willful rather than seeking and following God’s will. Thank you for the prayer to remind us to constantly seek His will.

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