03/30/2018
Do you seek out the will of the Father as you go about living each and every day? Do you say that you do the things which Jesus taught, and yet neglect to ask, seek, and knock on the door of God in search of His Holy will? If this is true then you are in dire straights, and Jesus will know you not when you stand in judgement. Nothing was more important to Him than to do His Father’s will.
“"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 ESV
Jesus lived His entire life within the will of God the Father. Every word, miracle, teaching, breath, and heartbeat was in service to God and the fulfillment of His will. So if we are doing many good works, if we are seeking righteousness, if we proclaim God as the one true God, and Jesus as His Son, and yet we don’t ask Him “Father, what is your will for me?”, or seek His will in our prayers by questioning Him “Lord, is this your will for me that I do it fully?”, and if we don’t knock and ask God to open the way for us as we go about doing, and living out His will He has shown us, then all we do is for naught.
“And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'”
Matthew 7:23 ESV
In the Gospel we see Jesus going about the business of His Father, and doing His will. He is busily fulfilling every prophesy regarding Himself, teaching us of the Father, and how to live holy lives, and preparing us to receive the gift of salvation through the sacrifice He is about to offer, yet none of these things were of Him... all of them were in answer and in service to the will of God the Father. Today is Good Friday and there is no greater example of the ends to which Jesus would go to do His Father’s will than what we see Him do on this day.
“"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.”
Matthew 7:7-8 ESV
He had asked, sought, and was now knocking and entering into the will of God. His life led Him to Gethsemane, but once there He taught us an incredible lesson regarding God’s will, and its application in our life. Jesus sought the will of God three times there that night...
“And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will."
Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, "My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done."
So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again.”
Matthew 26:39, 42, 44 ESV
Jesus asked, sought, and then did the will of God. Listen to His words as He stepped from asking and seeking into the act of doing the will of God...
“Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you came to do." Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.”
Matthew 26:50 ESV
Yes, Jesus taught us many good and wonderful things, but that wasn’t the foundation of His teaching, Jesus performed and allowed His disciples to perform miracles, but none of those were of Himself, and Jesus finally offered Himself as a living sacrifice in redemption of our sins, yet even in this it was not His will, but His Father’s that was done. The purpose and all the ancillary things of His life, even down to the individual beats of His heart were in response to the will of God. So if we know every detail of His life, have memorized every word He spoke, and love Him with all our heart, but miss this one thing... then we have never really known Him. His life was Founded on the will of the Father, and lived, even unto death, in obedience to it.
When you kneel in your own personal Gethsemane, are you asking for God’s provision in your life, or are you seeking your place in His? Are you asking Him to facilitate your will, or are you submitting to His? The answer to these questions will determine How Jesus will respond when we stand in judgement, what would you have Him say about you? Do you know Him, and more importantly, does He know you?
Pray as Jesus taught us, and pay special attention to the will of God in so doing...
“Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Matthew 6:9-10 ESV
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for leading me as I adhere to your will in my life. I thank you for allowing me to ask, seek, and knock, as I understand, and yield myself to the part I play in your will as it applies to my personal life, and further, to all of creation. Lord, I realize that I am important enough to you that you sent your only begotten Son to suffer, die, and be resurrected to redeem me, but I also know that my importance doesn’t end in and of myself, but that I am a part in your greater will and plan for all of creation. Heaven itself would not be complete without each soul that you desire to usher into eternity, and this requires that your will be sought out and obeyed... just as Jesus taught us in His final hours before Calvary. Holy Father, help me to understand your will for me, to seek it with all my heart, and to enter into it obediently, knowing you will guide my efforts to a good and successful end. Strengthen me, and give me the wisdom I need to accomplish your desire, so that in that moment when I stand before you and Jesus speaks of me He will say that He knows me well as a good and obedient brother, deserving to be a joint heir with Him in your kingdom. I praise you Holy Father, and cry out “Holy, Holy, Holy, are you God Almighty!”
Rich Forbes