DO THE WILL OF GOD WILLINGLY

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

JUNE 15,  2021

TOPIC: DO THE WILL OF GOD WILLINGLY

BY T. O. BANSO 

“Your kingdom come. Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10 New King James Version).

What is the will of God? The will of God is the mind, desire, and instruction of God on any matter as stated in the Bible or as revealed by the Holy Spirit. If it is revealed by the Spirit of God, it must agree with the Bible. The will of God is what God wants you to do.

While on earth, Jesus Christ did the will of His Father without wavering even to the death of the cross. “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8 New King James Version). Jesus said His food was to do the will of Him who sent Him and to finish His work (John 4:34). And He did exactly this.

He was guided throughout His entire life by the will of God. He sought His will to do so that he might please Him. “But I do nothing without consulting the Father. I judge as I am told. And my judgment is absolutely just, because it is according to the will of God who sent me; it is not merely my own” (John 5:30 New Living Translation).

Doing the will of God on earth is a very crucial part of the Lord’s Prayer Jesus taught His disciples. He said, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done” (Matthew 6:10 New King James Version). Before the Kingdom of heaven comes in the future, the children of the Kingdom must now do God’s will here on earth. Jesus said this about the will of God. “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” (Matthew 7:21 New King James Version).

In addition to the fact that there is a demand placed upon a child of God to do the will of his Father, he must not do His will just for doing sake. The Bible tells us that doing the will of God must come from our hearts. “Work hard, but not just to please your masters when they are watching. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart” (Ephesians 6:6 New Living Translation). We must do His will willingly.

Yes, God’s will must be done willingly. Look at this scripture: “Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying:  ‘Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering” (Exodus 25:2 New King James Version).  Did you see the word “willingly”?  In other words, it was not enough to give; it was important to give willingly. God hasn’t changed His mind on this.

Concerning giving offerings towards the building of the Temple during David’s reign, the Bible says the leaders of the fathers’ houses, leaders of the tribes of Israel, the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the officers over the king’s work, offered willingly (1 Chronicles 29:6).

Still, on the project, the Bible says, “Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the LORD; and King David also rejoiced greatly” (1 Chronicles 29:9 New King James Version). The people gave willingly, not under compulsion or duress.

In his praise to God for the opportunity to give offerings towards the building of the Temple, David asked, “But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly as this?” (1 Chronicles 29:14 New King James Version). 

David further said in 1 Chronicles 29:17, “I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You” (New King James Version). 

Whether in giving to God offerings of material things or of self or giving to other people, God’s will is that you give willingly. The Bible records such instances of giving willingly in Deuteronomy 15:8; Judges 5:2, 9; 2 Chronicles 17:16; 35:8; Ezra 1:6; 3:5; and Nehemiah 11:2.

The apostle Peter exhorted the elders in the church to shepherd the flock of God, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly (1 Peter 5:2). Of course, In 1 Corinthians 9:17, Paul said if he preached the gospel willingly, he had a reward; but if against his will, he had been entrusted with a stewardship. What he meant was that he was not a volunteer preacher of the gospel but someone under an order or compelled to do so. The scripture is not against serving God willingly.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:7 that each one should give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. As Isaiah 1:19 says if you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land. Willingly do the will of God.

The will of God is written in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible contains what God expects you or clearly instructs you to do. It is your responsibility as a child of God to search the Scriptures and find out what His will is on every matter. Also, it is the duty of the ministers of God to teach people the will of God in His Word.

The will of God will give you direction in life whether it is the Word of God in the Bible or what the Spirit of God is saying now to individuals. “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105 New King James Version). God’s specific will for each of His children, different from His general will for all His children, is discovered principally by the ministry of the Holy Spirit and not by the written Word in the Bible.

For instance, this is a general will of God for His children: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1-2 New King James Version). This requires no debate; we should do the will of God willingly.

We must understand the will of God and do it., including what is not specifically written in the Bible like where to live, who to marry, whether to travel or not, what to give, and other decisions like these. “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is” (Ephesians 5:17 New King James Version). Knowing the will of God and failing to do it is a sin. James 4:17 says, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (New King James Version).

Most times, doing His will is not convenient; doing His will may mean that people will turn their backs on you, including those you respect their opinions. It may lead to being rejected and isolated for some time. It may even mean that you will be wrongly labelled a rebel. This could be because of their ignorance or they’re a tool in the hand of the devil to discourage or confuse you. It could also be because your obedience to God will affect them negatively.

Nevertheless, if God says you should do something, do it. To obey is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). And when you do, you will receive the reward of obedience. Those who oppose you, reject you, and call you a rebel today will change their minds tomorrow when the Lord begins to reward you.  Therefore, don’t be bothered. Obey God rather than men. “We must obey God rather than human authority” (Acts 5:29 New Living Translation).

Do the will of God willingly, not grudgingly.

TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS:  Father, I shall do your will willingly; I will not rebel against Your will. I shall do Your will willingly, not grudgingly. Holy Spirit, help me to understand and do willingly the will of God written in the Bible. Help me to understand and do the will of God for my life. Let me not be ignorant of Your will for my life. Father, let me not miss Your will for my life.

(For over 600 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit: www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org