At the end of 1 John 2:17, we read, “he [the person] who does the will of God abides forever.” This half verse should cause us to pause and think deeply about our lives and to ask the question, what is the will of God? Since our abiding forever with Christ is connected to doing the will of God, we may want to know what it is, right? In John’s context, he is speaking about our need to reject a love of the world, flesh, and the devil.
Doing the will of God presupposes that we are not doing the will of another. Jesus said we cannot have two masters. (See Matthew 6:24) So, the question for us could be asked this way, “What is ruling your life?” Is God really in charge of your life? Has someone else been enthroned in power over your heart and mind? Could it be all the stuff we have accumulated that we, if we are to be honest, do not use or need? How about that relationship other than God we have become dependent on for fulfillment and love? Who controls us when we look at the man or woman in the mirror? God, us, some random little god of our own, or one of the devil’s making?
Often, the key to doing the will of God starts with our complete loyalty to God. When we start there, everything else will fall into place relatively quickly. However, the discomfort of unconditional surrender to God can be painful. Why? Our flesh must die for us to live for Jesus fully. Paul wrote to the Galatian churches, “Now those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well.” (Galatians 5:24–25) So how are we doing? Are we feeding the intention of the flesh, world, the devil, or are we living out the full will of God from a place of complete surrender? More on, what the will of God is for our lives next time. But for now, live in the power of the Spirit of God and seek to know Him deeply.