God’s Will and Our Will

by David Gibson

“I will not!” said the son when his father asked him to work in the vineyard. But later he changed his mind and went (Matthew 21:28-29). When did he exercise his own free will? Both times: in choosing to rebel and in choosing to comply.

God has given us free will. He pleads with us to do His will, but never forces the issue. It’s always our choice.

Jesus willingly submitted His own will to His Father’s will—even when it meant the cross (Matthew 26:36-46). Jesus put great emphasis on doing God’s will for Himself and us.

For Himself

“My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work” (John 4:34).

“... I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 5:30).

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me” (John 6:38).

For all the rest of us

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven...” (Matthew 7:21).

“For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother” (Matthew 12:50).

And so . . . .

Here’s a passage many people have never read: “And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will” (II Timothy 2:24-26). When people rebel against God’s will, they may think they are in charge of their lives, but in reality they have been “captured by [Satan] to do his will.” Wow!
It is God’s desire that such self-deceived people “may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil ...”

Without question, doing Satan’s will brings ultimate sorrow, but doing God’s will brings everlasting joy!

“I delight to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart” (Psalms 40:8).