Doing the Will of God
Part 4
It Starts with the Heart
“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks;
for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” -1 Thessalonians 5:16-17
As we saw from last week, it is God’s will for His children to be holy (set apart, blameless) in our entire behavior. As Christians, our thoughts, attitudes, outlooks, words, actions, relationships, goals, and work should be distinguishable from the world. Who we are and what we do should reflect the presence of God in our lives. Too often, though, we get so hung up on outward performance that we neglect the inner work that is essential to our accomplishing the will of God. We may do great deeds of service that may make us appear spiritual to others while lacking a true spirituality due to the lack of a genuine and sincere walk with God. True spirituality, a genuine walk with God, starts with our heart – our inner thoughts, attitudes, and actions. Lining these up with the Word of God will help us begin to accomplish the will of God for our lives.
The above passage of Scripture gives us three of the simplest things we can do as Christians to accomplish the will of God. These three things are very simple and basic to the Christian life, yet they can be three of the hardest things for the Christian to consistently do. Why is this? I believe it is because these three things deal more with our inner thoughts, attitudes and actions. It is much easier for us to do those things other people can see than to do those things that deal with the heart. May we always realize that the true mark of spiritual maturity is not so much what others see us doing but what we do when no one else is around. And even more important than what we do when no one sees us are our inner thoughts, attitudes, and actions.
Another difficulty with these three things is the seemingly unreasonable standard God is setting for our lives: “always”, “without ceasing”, “in everything”! How is this possible? Many times we fail to accomplish these three before even trying because we think that we will fail. We cry out in despair, “The standard is too high. These are impossible to accomplish!” Well, before we give up all hope, let’s look at these three simple things and discover how we may actually do the will of God for our lives in these.
Rejoice always
To rejoice means that we should be glad – to be filled with joy, pleasure, delight. This may seem like an unattainable endeavor – especially to rejoice always! And it is, if we expect to be filled with joy, pleasure, and delight by the things of this world. But for the child of God, who has their eyes fixed on their Father, to rejoice always is an everyday reality. How? The Christian puts their hope in the things of God – in the things that God rejoices and delights in – not in the things of this world. Consider the following things that we are to rejoice in:
1. The Lord Himself (Philippians 3:1; 4:4)
· His incarnation (Luke 1:14)
· His power (Luke 13:17)
· His going to the Father (John 14:28)
· His presence with us (Psalm 16:11; Zephaniah 3:17)
2. The gospel (Acts 13:48)
3. Our salvation (Luke 10:20; 19:6; Acts 8:39)
4. Our eternal hope (Romans 12:12; 5:2; Colossians 1:27)
5. The obedience of others (1 Corinthians 16:19)
6. The proclaiming of Christ (Philippians 1:18)
7. Truth (1Corinthians 13:6)
8. The harvesting of souls (John 4:36)
9. Suffering for Christ (Matthew 5:12; Acts 5:31; Colossians 1:24; 1 Peter 4;13)
10. The Lord’s return (John 14:3,18; Philippians 3:20, 21; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)
These things are eternal truths. By setting the scope of our hearts thoughts and affections on these things we can rejoice always because we are fixing our hope on those things which are eternal and not in our temporal circumstances.
Pray without ceasing
Here I will quote from William MacDonald: “Prayer should be the constant attitude of the Christian – not that he abandons his regular duties and gives himself wholly to prayer. He prays at certain regular times; he also prays extemporaneously as need arises; and he enjoys continual communion with the Lord by prayer.”
We can pray without ceasing because the Lord is with us without ceasing! When we delight in Him and His presence with us and realize that we have the wonderful opportunity to commune and converse with Him always, prayer becomes the lifeline of our soul.
In everything give thanks
I remember a time in my early years as a Christian when I would utter the words “Thank you, Jesus” when painful things would happen. One time, I was helping a friend who had recently accepted Christ move some things in his basement. While moving a bookshelf, a board fell on my finger causing a large amount of pain and I yelled out, “Thank you, Jesus!” My friend was quite startled by the words that had come out of my mouth and he asked me why I had said that. Well, trying to look spiritual, I shared that as followers of Christ we were to give thanks in everything. He had a troubled look and with hesitation said, “Chuck, that didn’t sound too thankful to me. It sounded more like my cursing.” His gentle (but convicting words) hit me hard because I knew he was right. Though my words gave thanks my heart was far from it. Like I said earlier, it starts with the heart.
The key to being able to give thanks in everything is knowing that our God is a sovereign God. God is never surprised by what happens because He allows everything and works everything out for good (for His glory). He is in control. God is in control even in seemingly difficult circumstances. Only when we begin to realize this and rest in the security of this unchanging truth will we be able to genuinely give thanks in everything.
As you continue on in your walk with God and determine to serve and glorify Him in all that you do, may you realize that not only is rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, and giving thanks in everything God's will for you in Christ Jesus, but it is also possible because of Christ Jesus! He is our reason to rejoice; He is the One with whom we converse; and He is in control of our lives. If you are in Christ, then Christ is in you and your heart is changed. It starts with the heart and He has started it for you!
By God's Grace ~ Through God's Word ~ For God's Glory!
Chuck Long
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