Thy Will Be Done (Part 2)
I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is,
that which is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:1-2
Many Christians verbally acknowledge that God’s will is good, acceptable and perfect. Many can quote the above verse without flaw. Yet many are unable to rest with peace and joy in its powerful truth. Why? Because we want our will to be done – we want God to do things the way we want them done. We don’t like the way God is doing things and therefore we really don’t believe that His will is good and perfect because we are not accepting it. We have the audacity to think that we know better than God how things should be done. Yes, we can quote Romans 12:2; however, we often fail to experience its powerful truth in our daily lives. This failure comes as a result of our not taking Scripture in its context, by our not seeing that God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ, and by not seeing the big picture of what God has done and is doing in us and for us. We fail to experience the supernatural peace that comes from truly knowing that God’s will is good, acceptable, and perfect because we often don’t believe in a sovereign God who has nothing but good planned for our lives; therefore, we don’t surrender ourselves to Him completely.
In verses one and two of the 12th chapter of Romans, the Apostle Paul gives us two things that we should do. First, we should surrender to God (living our lives completely for Him), and secondly, we should not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds (making His thoughts our thoughts). In doing these two exhortations we then prove (to ourselves and to the world) that God’s will is good, acceptable, and perfect. How is this possible?
The key to obeying these verses is given to us in the first line, I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God. Verses 1 & 2 of chapter 12 are transitional verses in the book of Romans. Because of what has been written in chapters 1-11, give yourselves entirely to God – make His ways your ways and His thoughts your thoughts – so that you can live out chapters 12-16 (I refer you to my Weekly Word 3-13-2000, An Ode to Therefore). I believe the, I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, is particularly pointing us back to Romans chapter 8 (chapters 9-11 being a parenthesis).
In Romans chapter 8 the Apostle Paul sums up the glorious good news of Jesus Christ and what belongs to those whose lives have been changed by the finished work of Jesus Christ. How can we give ourselves entirely to God and surrender to His will? Consider the wonderful blessings that are yours in Christ:
· There is no condemnation (v1)
· The requirement of the Law is fulfilled in you (v4)
· You are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (vv9-11)
· You’ve been adopted (placed) into God’s family (vv14-15)
· You are an heir of God’s kingdom (v17)
· The Holy Spirit intercedes for you (vv26-27). The Holy Spirit intercedes for you according to the will of God, so you can rest assured that even if you don’t know what God’s will is for your life, the Holy Spirit does! And since the Holy Spirit’s prayers will be answered, God’s will is going to be fulfilled for your life!
· You are guaranteed to be conformed into the image of Christ – you have been predestined, called, justified, and glorified (vv28-30)
· You stand without guilt (v33)
· You cannot be separated from the love of Christ – you are eternally secure (v35)
· You are victorious (v37-39)
All these wonderful blessing are yours who are in Christ because of the finished work of Christ. And these are just the tip of the iceberg! His mercy, grace, and goodness have bestowed all of these on you and not only these, but so much more!
In the 28th verse of Romans chapter 8 we are told, “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” To say that we know means that we are resting with assurance and confidence and peace in His sovereignty. How is this possible? How do we know that God causes all things to work together for good? How do we know that His will is good and perfect? We know this because God is good and perfect. Since God is good and perfect how could anything that He does or allows not be good and perfect? It can’t!
He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all,
how will He not also with Him freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32)
God has given us all things in Christ. God has given us life – real life! Our lives do not consist of the things of this earth but the things of eternity and God is taking us from glory to glory. When we came to Christ our glory journey began and it will never end. Sad to say though, that many Christians miss out on seeing God’s glory because they fail to see that His will is good, acceptable, and perfect. Everything that happens to us is allowed by a God who is good and perfect. We often don’t view it this way and develop wrong thoughts about God as a result. The problem is not with God; the problem lies within us who refuse to accept God’s good and perfect will. If we truly know this we will surrender completely (and joyfully) to Him, and as we surrender to His ways, we will prove to a lost and dying world that His will is good and acceptable and perfect.
God does know what is best for us. Everything that God does and allows He does so that His will is fulfilled in us and through us. For God’s will to be done in our lives we must not be conformed to the ways of this world – we must cast off worldly and humanistic values, thoughts and practices. For God’s will to be done we must be transformed by the renewing of our minds – taking God’s thoughts and God’s ways as our own and living them out. H.A. Ironside said regarding Romans 12:2, “The cross of Christ has come between the believer and the world. To conform himself to the ways of this present evil age is to be unfaithful to the One whom the world has rejected but whom we have owned as Lord and Savior.” Let us not live and think like those who have no hope. Instead, may we who have been touched by the life-changing good news of Jesus Christ proclaim the hope that is within us by living and thinking in such a way that proves His will to be good, acceptable and perfect.
Next week I will take a look at those things that we can know with certainty is the Lord’s will based on His unchanging Word. Until then, my prayer for you is that you would come to know more and more with certainty that His will for you is good, acceptable, perfect, and that You would rest peacefully in Him no matter what comes your way.
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?
Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again?
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
To Him be the glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36
By God's Grace ~ Through God's Word ~ For God's Glory!
Chuck Long
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