God’s Will—My Will

God’s Will—My Will

Being converted to God is the same, as turning away from our own will to God’s will. Jesus prayed, “Not My will, but Your will be done.” You will say that God requires things from you that are totally impossible for man to do; things that you can never do. Not at all! He does not do that. He has given us His command­ments that we might keep them care­fully, and as the day is, so shall our strength be. He always gives grace to help in time of need; and grace is power to do His will.

When Jesus came into the world He said, “Behold, I have come—in the volume of the book it is written of Me—to do Your will, O God!” Heb. 10:7. Jesus had the power of God’s Spirit over Him to do this will, be­cause He offered Himself in the power of an eternal Spirit. He had a self-will to offer up in order to do His Father’s will. The offering was in Him, and He was obedient. Therefore He could teach us to pray this prayer: “Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” In other words, God’s will is to be done by us here on earth, and we have received power to do it in that the Holy Spirit has come over us—the same Spirit that was over Je­sus in the days of His flesh. A reason­able person here on earth will not expect more of his children than they are capable of doing. How much more will not our heavenly Father adapt His divine will to our life in the cir­cumstances in which we live. To be­lieve anything else is unbelief. As a natural human being one entertains the thought that these great demands God makes of us are unreasonable; but such thoughts are sinful and have nothing to do with reality. God’s will is our sanctification. Therefore His will can be done, and must be done if we are to be sanctified. Because it is written, “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” He works in us both, to will and to do. He does not undertake to work more in us than we can do.

“Sacrifice and offering, burnt of­ferings, and offerings for sin You did not desire.” Heb. 10:8. All these offer­ings were outside the body; they could not be compared to the offerings within the body—the offerings, which our Lord Jesus Christ had come to bring. We are also called to have a share in this sacrificial ministry. Just as Abraham and God had agreed to sacrifice Isaac, so we also must agree with God to offer up our Isaac. Only then will God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven.