Two thousand years ago, the Lord Jesus said, “Not every one that said to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that does the will of my Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21). The Lord told us the only condition for entering the kingdom of heaven, that is, doing God’s will. Therefore, many Christians choose to offer more and do more good things to prepare good deeds; some work hard for the Lord and even choose to serve God for their lifetime, never to marry; the list goes on. But are working hard and doing external good deeds really equivalent to following the will of the Father?
The earliest Pharisees traveled across land and sea to preach the gospel, but they did not practice God’s words at all, nor did they abide by God’s commandments. When the Lord Jesus appeared and did His work, they collaborated with the Roman government in nailing the Lord to the cross in order to safeguard their own positions and incomes, thus being cursed and punished by God. From this, we can see that we cannot judge whether we are doing the will of God simply according to our external hard work and good behaviors.
So what is to do God’s will? The Lord Jesus said, “Jesus said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.This is the first and great commandment.And the second is like to it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37–39).
God says, “Jesus was able to complete God’s commission—the work of all mankind’s redemption—because He gave every care to God’s will, without making any plans or arrangements for Himself. So, too, was He the intimate of God—God Himself—which is something you all understand very well. (Actually, He was the God Himself who was testified to by God. I mention this here to use the fact of Jesus to illustrate the issue.) He was able to place God’s management plan at the very center, and always prayed to the heavenly Father and sought the will of the heavenly Father. … He lived for thirty-three years, throughout which He always did His utmost to meet God’s will according to God’s work at the time, never considering His own personal gain or loss, and always thinking of the will of God the Father.”
The Lord Jesus could obey the will of the heavenly Father because He had a heart of loving God. He performed His ministry completely for caring for God’s will; He had no personal plans or requirements, and didn’t consider His own future and destination, only for satisfying God’s will. From this, we can see: People who truly do the will of God can practice God’s word and keep God’s commandments; no matter what environments God creates for them, or what sufferings and trials God allows to come upon them, they can obey God’s orchestration and arrangement, only living for following God’s will. Just like Peter, during his working and spending, he could care for God’s will; no matter what tribulations and refinements he suffered, he was willing to obey God’s orchestration and arrangement; even if he faced death, he could also be willing to be crucified upside down to satisfy God. Peter was a person who truly loved the Lord and was commended by God, and he set us an example. So, doing the will of God has nothing to do with the outward piousness and suffering, the key is to see, while we are sacrificing and doing things, whether we are practicing God’s word and whether we do by the heart of loving God.
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