Building up believers and the New Testament church

God's Purpose for You

God's Purpose for You is That His Will Be Done

In the beginning, God required of Adam that he do the will of God. God laid down certain requirements and said that Adam could do certain things but not others. Adam disobeyed, and thus died. God has never changed, although sometimes we'd like to think He has. It is still the requirement of God that you do His will. "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). God does not redeem you to do your own will, but to do His will. He paid the price for your redemption, and He is your new master. This is not a legalistic bondage, but rather that of a "love slave." You owe your very existence to Him; therefore out of a loving heart you delight to do His will.

Some have made the mistake of trying to do the will of God, thinking that they can please God enough to cause Him to save them. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Trying to please God and do His will can never produce life. It is like commanding a dead man to rise up and walk. He is dead and cannot respond to your commands! It is the same before you come to Christ. God's commands are there, but you cannot obey them because you are dead. Christ must first give you life.

Others have made the opposite mistake, saying that since we are saved through faith and faith alone, it does not matter what we do. This also is far from the truth. True faith is revealed by our works (James 1:17-20). If your faith does not produce works in your life, it is not saving faith. The proof that you have the life of God is that it is now revealed in your daily life. The Holy Spirit that God gives you now makes it possible for you to do the will of God in all aspects of your life.

What does it mean to do the will of God? First, it means that you stop sinning. This does not mean that you cannot sin or stumble occasionally, but it does mean that the normal pattern of your life will be free from sin. "No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him" (1 John 3:9). God has placed within you the power to walk in victory over sin. Furthermore, if you do continue to sin, you will die (Romans 8:12-14). This is not physical death, but spiritual death--separation from God. Sin breaks your fellowship with God, and the only solution is repentance, which is to turn from it in heart and deed. If you do not, the truth of God's law: "The soul that sins shall die," again takes over. God cannot dwell with sin.

On the positive side, however, doing the will of God is not just refraining from sin. That is only the beginning. God wants to express His life through you. This begins in a love relationship between you and God, and continues on until God has touched every part of your life, bringing it into conformity with His desires and purposes. You will find many things being put out of your life, not because they are sin in themselves, but because you just don't have time or a place in your life for them. You will find your life being taken up completely with how you can please Him, because He is your first love.

Life will take on a new meaning to you, as you grow in your relationship with Jesus. You will find that He will put more and more demands on you, but never more than you can bear. You will find it easy to say "yes" to Jesus, since you realize that everything He speaks to you is spoken out of a heart of love and concern for you. Your heart will be burdened for others, that they too might know this relationship. You are a "new creation," and your whole life has changed, because it is now hidden in God. You are living in fellowship with the God of this universe, and you know there is no turning back, because His great love has found you out.