The Will of the Father

[Don]

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 12:50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

I've heard of, and even experienced, men who talk about the will of God for our lives; seen men tell others "God's will is for you to do...." But let me ask: What is the will of God? How do we know it?

I know there are books by the dozens out on this subject; I personally have a viewpoint, based on John 6, that might differ. Curious about your thoughts as I explore this subject further.

 

[convicted1]

Matthew 7:21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 12:50 For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

I've heard of, and even experienced, men who talk about the will of God for our lives; seen men tell others "God's will is for you to do...." But let me ask: What is the will of God? How do we know it?

I know there are books by the dozens out on this subject; I personally have a viewpoint, based on John 6, that might differ. Curious about your thoughts as I explore this subject further.

Brother, these are some very deep questions you have asked! But they are good'uns, too! Lemme take a stab at them.

The will of the Father?

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Mark 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.

31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Luke 10:27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

1 Samuel 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

So, in essence, it all boils down to loving Him. In loving Him, you are also going to be obedient to Him. I hope this helps.

i am I AM's!!

Willis

 

[quantumfaith]

1. We are required to strive to be obedient to God's moral will (scripture).
2. When facing decisions (non-moral in nature) we are responsible to choose within the revealed moral parameters
3. We should seek to make wise decisions based upon our spiritual maturity
4. We must always be ready and seek to submit to God's overall sovereignty

God's Will: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View.

In short, Mr. Friesen proposed in his book, that God does indeed throughout history (select/elect/choose) certain individuals for the accomplishment of specific tasks and roles. He further proposes that this is not the "norm" for all but all would fall under these four guidelines of Wisdom.

The "Will of God" is a topic that many believers "struggle" with, those who wish to be obedient and faithful followers of Christ. It is not a "simple" thing quite often for new and young believers to know and comprehend, perhaps not even "easy" for those of us more "seasoned" in life.

 

[freeatlast]

Don
I think the answer to your question is so simple, but because most try and make it some deep theological jungle that it remains hidden to many.

John 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

 

[Iconoclast]

3For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that ye should abstain from fornication:

16Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.

17If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

18As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

8Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

9Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

10For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

11Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

12For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

13And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?

14But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

15But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

16Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

17For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

23Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life

 

[Don]

John 6:28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.



John 6:40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.



I have to look over the verses provided by Iconoclast.

 

[Jon-Marc]

I learned a long time ago that prayer and fasting helped to determine God's will in a certain situation. Now that I'm diabetic and can't fast safely, I depend on just prayer. However, if we are truly desiring God's will and not our own, He will reveal it to us and give us peace about it.

An example of putting our will ahead of God and then convincing ourselves that it is His will: A friend of mine wanted so badly to pastor his own church. Not having the qualifications to candidate for a pastorate, he proceeded to get a few people together and took out a mortgage on a church building that was for sale. After a short time they lost the building due to not being able to make the $3,000 per month payments. It's too easy to convince ourselves that what we want is also what God wants, when in actuality it isn't and will fail.

 

[quantumfaith]

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?"

Micah 6:8