The Will of God by H. Leo Boles [Reprinted from the Gospel Advocate (Vol. 77, No. 34): 8/22/35, p. 794].
The most important thing with which man has to do is the will of God. All intelligent beings have a will. It is a part of their nature. The will of God is a part of his nature. When we know the will of God, we know at least a part of his nature. God has seen fit to reveal his will to man. This revelation was made known in its fullness through the Christ. "Then said I, Lo, I am come (in the roll of the book it is written of me) to do thy will, O God" (Hebrews 10:7).
In a general way God's will is expressed through his laws-his written revelation and the laws of nature. There is no plant in the vegetable kingdom that can grow, mature, and bear fruit out of harmony with the will of God. No animal can live contrary to the laws of God that govern the animal kingdom. God's will, expressed through his laws, controls everything he has created. Man, bearing the image of God, cannot fill his mission out of harmony with God's will; no happiness can be enjoyed out of harmony with the will of God. Truly no Christian can live an acceptable life without the spirit of the will of God.
Jesus impressed the importance of the will of God when he came to earth; he came to do the will of God. Every word that he spake was in harmony with that will; every principle that he taught was a part of it; and every truth that he announced helped to reveal it. Jesus prayed that the will of God be done. While in the garden of Gethsemane "he kneeled down and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:41,42). Jesus came to do God's will, and he prayed that he might be faithful in doing it. Again, he taught his disciples to pray that the will of God be done. In teaching them to pray he said: "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so on earth" (Matthew 6:9,10). The will of God is to be done on earth by the creatures of God, and especially by his disciples, as it is done in heaven by the angelic host.
Upon one occasion while Jesus was teaching on earth some one came to him and announced that his mother and his brethren were without, seeking to speak to him; "but he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, and said, Behold, my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother" (Matthew 12:47-50). Jesus here says that those who do God's will belong to the family of God; no other can belong to God's family. One must do the will of God to become a member of his family, and one must continue to do the will of God in order to live as a member of his family. All believe that God has a will in a general way, but God has a will concerning each individual, and his program for each is that his will be carried out. There is an axiom in mathematics that the whole is equal to all of its parts. There can be no real plan for the whole that does not include a plan for all of the parts; there can be no will of God concerning the human family that does not include a will for the individual members. Each one should inquire: "What is God's will concerning me?" It is true that the disciples of Jesus are more than mere individuals; they constitute the body of Christ or the church of God; they represent Christ and stand for him in the world. The honor of God and the success of the church are in the hands of the children of God. Only by doing the will of God can his honor be maintained and his church fulfill its mission.
Jesus was loyal to the will of God. No one can think of Jesus without thinking of the will of God and the righteousness to be had through doing God's will. It costs something to be loyal to the will of God; however, it costs far more sometimes to be loyal to the cause of evil. Many make a profession of being loyal to God when they are at heart unfaithful. Jesus condemned such while teaching on earth. He said: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). The doing of the will of God, and not merely professing Jesus as Lord, is the important thing. Here Jesus impresses us with the importance of the Father's will by saying that it must be done. It is not enough to profess Jesus as Lord; it is not enough to even attach one's self to the church. The will of God must be done. It stands between every intelligent person and heaven.
Where should the will of God be done? When should the will of God be done? Why should the will of God be done? How can the will of God be done? These questions can be answered without hesitation by those who know God's will. Paul said: "Whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17). Whatever a Christian does, it is to be done "in the name of the Lord Jesus." To do anything "in the name of the Lord Jesus" is to do it by his authority, and to do anything by the authority of Christ is to carry out the will of God; hence, whatever a Christian does "in word or in deed," it is to be done to carry out God's will. This answers the question as to when and where the will of God should be done. There is never a time when God's will should not be done, no place that the will of God should not be done.
The will of God is to be done by the children of God under all circumstances. The father and mother in the home should exalt the will of God and let that guide them in all affairs. All the relations of the family life should be regulated by it. The will of God says to wives: "Wives, be in subjection to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord" (Colossians 3:18). If wives obey this, they will be happy and will be successful in their mission in the home life. The same writer says: "Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them" (Colossians 3:19). This regulates the husband's conduct and attitude toward his wife, and will lead him to happiness and success as a husband. "Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing in the Lord" (Colossians 3:20). This clause of the will of God regulates the conduct of the children in the home, and especially toward their parents. "Fathers, provoke not your children, that they be not discouraged" (Colossians 3:21). This regulates the conduct of the parents to their children. The will of God covers these domestic relations and can bring happiness and joy to those who set their hearts on doing the will of God.
The Christian life must be lived in harmony with the will of God. Jesus is the ideal of every child of God. It should be the aim of Christians to become like Christ in spirit, in obedience, in loyalty, in faithfulness, in character. This can be done only to that extent that Christians are guided by the word of God. It is God's will that Christians meet together, worship together, and live together as God's children. They constitute the church in every community. It is God's will that his children keep themselves unspotted from the world (James 1:27). It is God's will that his children visit the sick and help the poor. May each child of God pray that the will of God be done on earth as it is done in heaven.
Ugly Usage of Beauty by Dale Smelser (Reprinted from
the Wildercroft Announcements: http://www.wildercroft-church-of-christ.org)
We sometimes sing, "How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in
a believer's ear." Of course we are not talking about the
just the sound of the English letters J-E-S-U-S. But even that
is precious to the believer because of who that designates. The
Greeks spoke his name, and it is the term the Holy Spirit had
New Testament writers us, as Iesous. That was their form of the
Hebrew name "Yeshua," or "Yehoshua," which
means, "Jehovah is savior." That is what is sweet to
the believer's ear, whatever the linguistic pronunciation. The
man the name represents, as we see the Father in him, and see
the one who loved us and died for us, the one who is our brother
and our king; all that is what the name means to us. With what
respect and dignity it should be used!
This Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth
speaks" (Mt. 12:34). What comes out of the mouth shows what
is in the heart. When one uses that name which refers to the Son
of God, and uses it to express disgust, anger, or irreverence,
he tells us how greatly depraved his heart is. He shows he has
no real respect for the Savior of mankind. He may not think of
himself so, but how good can a person be who takes this name,
which represents love and kindness, as well as august majesty,
and spits forth ugly or irreverent venom, or just indifference,
in its use. The Christian uses the name and it summons up within
him all that is ultimately spiritual and beautiful. Others use
this beautiful name in an ugly, impudent, and utterly disrespectful
manner. Their usage tells much about them.
Or we can take the term, God. That denotes not only someone, but
the ultimate eternal someone. Jeremiah said of him: "There
is none like thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great
in might. Who would not fear thee, O King of the nations? For
this is thy due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and
in all their kingdoms there is none like thee" (10:6-7).
The Psalmist says, "The LORD reigns; let the peoples tremble!
He sits enthroned upon the cherubim; let the earth quake! The
LORD is great in Zion; he is exalted over all the peoples. Let
them praise thy great and terrible name! Holy is he!" (Psm.
99:1-3). Again, "Holy and reverend is his name" (Psm.
11:9).
When we say, "How great is his name in all the earth,"
we are saying, "How great is he, his authority, and his rule
in all the earth." And it is everywhere. Even where people
may not acknowledge it. They might as well deny their own existence.
His power and his presence are everywhere. He declared through
Jeremiah, "Do not I fill heaven and earth saith Jehovah?
(Jer. 23:24). Yes, and the person who uses God's name so profanely,
irreverently, and vainly, stands in the presence of the God whose
name he defiles.
Our wonderfully just courts today deny the mention of God on certain
occasions and in certain places. It might offend someone. They
make the offended person more important than God. They uphold
as freedom of speech, the right regularly to defile the name of
God, which is certainly offensive to those to whom the name of
God is precious. Jesus declared such inconsistency childish and
said, "Wisdom is justified by her actions" (Mt. 11:19).
MONTHLY BIBLE READING: Lessons the Disciples Learned - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
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