Fruit Trees, Wolves, and the Will of God: Part III

The Will of God
The final thing we must address is back in Matthew 7:21 when Jesus says that only those who “do the will of my Father” will enter the kingdom of God. This naturally poses the question, “What is the will of God?” This is another one of those intimidating church questions that confused me as a young believer. We can blow it up so often to seem like something that is ambiguous and unattainable. However, this could not be further from the truth! God is not a God who holds out on His children. He is not sitting on His throne, looking down on His people and laughing as He holds His secrets just out of their grasping reach. Rather, His will is given to us freely in His Word.


Discovering the will of God is two-fold. Remember the formula of faith + obedience?

First, Romans 12:2 tell us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” This “renewal of our minds” is the process of sanctification—or the process of continually becoming more and more like Jesus as we live out the Christain life. 
As we undergo this process of sanctification, it enables our obedience by producing a new and authentic love for God within our hearts. This love permeates our very beings, influencing everything we do. 
Does this mean that we are without sin and suddenly are incapable of messing up? Of course not! As we unavoidably sin on the road to glory, it does not make us a “diseased tree”. If we believe that it does, then we vastly underestimate the powerful grace that has been extended to us through Jesus’s death and resurrection. 
This new and authentic love is also what motivates us and sustains us as we fulfill the ultimate call to obedience found within Scripture. This call is the Great Commission that Christ entrusted to every believer when He told His disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28: 19-20).

So, as we dive back into Matthew 7 this week, I pray that it would renew your assurance of how much God loves you and is for you as we navigate this beautiful and difficult life that He has for us. Take some time for reflection and ask yourself: “What kind of fruit am I producing?”, “ Am I living a life of obedience?”, and ultimately, “Have I accepted Jesus as the Lord and Savior of my life?” If your answer to these questions is a resounding “Yes!”, then take heart and continue this journey with me as we “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:14).