God's Good Will
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April 01, 2012 |
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 "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."(Romans 12:1)
As a large company recruits new employees it takes prudence in choosing its new workers. It usually has a certain standard and chooses the ones that meet the standard. Likewise, God follows certain standards when making us His children, setting us up as His workers, and giving answers and blessing. He doesn't grant salvation and provide answers and blessing to just anybody. Then, what is His standard to give grace, salvation, and the blessing of answers?
1. God Works in Love and Justice
Galatians 6:7 reads, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." God surely repays whatever we do and allows for us to reap according to what we've sown.
God desires all men to receive salvation and blessings with an earnest heart because He is Love. Some people, however, live in trials and afflictions far from blessings while others receive God's love and blessing. Do you think God discriminates between individuals? No, He doesn't. Those who act according to God's Word which is the Truth receive the blessing.
For example, God said in Romans 10:13, "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved." He also gave a promise in Acts 16:31 saying, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." Just as recorded, the door of salvation is open to everyone. But individual salvation depends on whether or not one believes and follows the gospel.
Salvation isn't accomplished just because a person listens to God's Word, understands the Word as knowledge, and professes with his lips, "I believe." Only when he believes from his heart with no doubt at all can he receive salvation as written in Romans 10:9-10. Such a person keeps and practices the Word of God as written in James 2:22, "You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected."
The same applies when it comes to receiving the love of God. Proverbs 8:17 reads, "I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me." Namely, we are loved by God as much as we love Him and we can find Him only when we diligently seek Him.
Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ can reach salvation, but we must cast away every form of evil and obey God's Word in order to grow up in faith and share love with God. If we love God to the utmost, all our deeds will be trustworthy and we will give out the aroma of goodness. So then, how could God not give blessings to such children!
2. God Blesses those who Act in Goodness
God causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous equally. He equally gives blessings to anyone who enters within the boundaries of His blessing in the same way.
In Acts chapter 10 is the story about Cornelius, a centurion of the Roman Army. He was a Gentile but he was loved by God and led his friends as well as his relatives to salvation. He received such a blessing for He feared God, prayed, and practiced goodness in giving alms to people. Just as in his case, God has opened the gate of salvation wide to everyone who fears Him and acts according to righteousness.
The centurion that appears in Matthew chapter 8 is the same. The centurion came to Jesus and earnestly asked Him to heal his servant. We can imagine how he was of goodness seeing him come before Jesus and ask for his servant's healing though he had authority as a centurion of the mighty Roman Empire.
Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." But the centurion said with faith, "Lord, I am not worthy for You to come under my roof, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed." Jesus complimented him after hearing his confession of faith saying, "I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel." And He said, "Go; it shall be done for you as you have believed." At the very moment, the servant was healed.
The centurion had such great faith, humbled himself before Jesus, and possessed a good heart with which he loved his servant. That's why he could receive the answer. In the same manner, God answers all our petition and prayer and solves any kind of problems including diseases when we act in goodness, love God, and trust in Him.
3. The Word of God Is the Standard of Goodness
People discern between goodness and evilness based on their own consciences. But it can't be an absolute standard. The conscience is formed differently depending on environment or education. Whether we are raised by good parents or evil parents might decide our conscience. Our values may vary according to what we have been taught. Therefore, this standard of goodness is different from person to person. Some people consider what is good to be evil while others think that what is evil is good.
Therefore, God gives us advice saying in Romans 12:2, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect."
Here the will of God which is good refers to the Word of God that is the truth. Namely, it is the will and thought of God itself. The will of God which is acceptable means faith with which people put complete belief in the Word of God. Hebrews 11:6 reads, "And without faith it is impossible to please Him…" In other words, our possessing faith truly pleases God. To act perfectly according to the will of God is the will of God which is perfect.
Then, what is the standard of goodness? It is only the Word of God. In Mark chapter 10, a man ran up to Jesus and called Him, "Good Teacher!" Then Jesus answered, "No one is good except God alone." Does it mean Jesus isn't good? No, it doesn't. Jesus said this because He had to take the cross bearing all sins of mankind. He also wanted to deny Himself and let people know only God is the standard of goodness.
Without knowing what sins actually are, worldly people think they are good even while committing sins. God detests sins. No matter how proper a person might think he is in God's sight, God can't help but turn His face from him if he commits sins.
King David was such a person. He was loved and acknowledged by God, but he slept with Bathsheba, who was his servant's wife, and caused his servant to be killed in the warfare to hide his sin. God reprimanded him by sending Nathan, His prophet, "Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight?" (2 Samuel 12:9-10)
In other words, to disobey God's Word and commit sins has the context of despising God. The Word of God is the standard between goodness and evilness. Therefore, only when we live according to the Word of God who is good can we be acknowledged by Him as men of goodness.
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will not only cast off untruth by arming yourself with the Word of God and praying fervently, but also receive great blessing and answers by practicing the good will of God.
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