So often Christians say they want to know the will of God for their lives, but the real question about God’s will is are we willing to carry it out when we discover what His will is. I really think the late pastor and Bible teacher, Warren Wiersbe, said it well when he proclaimed: “God does not reveal His will to those who are curious. He reveals His will to those who are obedient. God guides those who are concerned about His glory.”1
What good is knowing God’s will if we don’t carry it out. Knowing His will is nice but being obedient to it, is the key to bringing glory to the Lord. And after all isn’t our chief priority in life to glorify God. We see this clearly stated in (1 Corinthians 10:31): “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all things for the glory of God.”
Obedience is a word that has negative connotations. For example, we as children, were told to obey our parents, which as we all know, often went contrary to our desires. And as Christians we are told to deny many of our old desires because they are contrary to who we now are in Christ. We are told not to obey the flesh but the spirit.
But may I propose that the word obedience when it is applied to the will of God is a beautiful word that I have come to cherish for the following three reasons. I pray that after I share why I love the word obedience, you too will want to obey God’s will for your life.
First, the more we are willing to be obedient to the commands of the Lord, the more God will reveal His wonderful will for our lives. All of us want to know how to experience meaning and joy in life and I have come to realize that both rich meaning and abundant joy come to those who walk in the will of the Lord. And the reason is simple. The more we do the will of God the more glory we bring Him. And to me knowing that I am glorifying Jesus is the most satisfying thing in life.
Second, obeying God opens up the windows of heaven and releases His great storehouse of blessings into our lives. And these blessings are both in the now as well as in eternity. Knowing that by our obedience to God we are pleasing the Creator of the universe is an amazing thrill that I cherish so much. Now granted that doing God’s will may bring some negative consequences into our lives, but God will always turn these negatives into positives for us, especially in eternity for we read in (Matthew 5:11-12): “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
And third, God will always guide those who are concerned about His will and His glory. We have God’s personal promise in (Proverbs 3:5-6) that He will direct our paths when we put our trust in Him. For we read: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.” Imagine the Creator of the universe being our own personal guide, coach, and counselor in all of our lives’ decisions.
Yes, I will admit that obedience to God is not always easy – but the rewards of obeying God’s Word are simply awesome.
May the following few verses from (Psalm 119), get you, like the psalmist, more excited about obeying God’s precious word:
(Psalm 119:18): “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.”
(Psalm 119:24): “Your testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.”
(Psalm 119:72): “The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver.”
(Psalm 119:162): “I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure.”
1 Prayer, Praise & Promises Quotes by Warren W. Wiersbe (goodreads.com)