January 6th: Your Will Be Done
“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Mt 6:10).
A lot has been said (and written) over the years regarding the topic of “God’s Will” or the “Will of God”. Part of the reason for this is because Scripture places a high priority on being in or doing the will of God and warns of the inherent dangers of being outside of or not doing the will of God. In fact, according to Jesus in Matthew 7:21, eternity with God hangs in the balance. In that passage of Scripture He’s quoted as saying: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 7:21). Thus, it is of utmost importance that we not only understand; but to do the Will of God.
The will of God, in Scripture, concerns the accomplishment of God’s divine plan and purposes for His creation as a whole, and mankind in particular; whereby He receives the glory and honor due His name.
First and foremost, this concerns the salvation of sinners; people turning from their sin & rebellion, and humbly submitting to the leadership of God, through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ, resulting in the accomplishment of God’s divine plan and purpose in their life. (See Jn 3:16; Mt 18:12-14; Mt 26:42; 1 Tm 2:3-4; 2 Pt 3:9) It also includes the proclamation of the Gospel – to unbelievers, calling them to be saved through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:15; Lk 24:46-49; Jn 20:21; Acts 1:8)
The will of God is also accomplished through Christ-like obedience; an obedience “from the heart” (Eph 6:6), once someone places their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior, out of a sincere desire to bring glory to God, as they follow Him as Lord. (see Eph 6:6; 1 Thes 4:3-8)
To pray “Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven” is to pray that individuals here on earth would submit to the leadership of God through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ; and that they would obey the will of God from the heart.
As you spend time praying today, we want to invite you to pray that God’s will would be done here on earth (in your life, your family, and your sphere of influence) as it is in Heaven.
For more on the will of God, you can rewatch a message preached by Pastor Brian this past summer entitled Doing the Will of God